Never Stood a Chance
by dsrtchck
Summary: You were controlling, she is not. You could barely touch me, she can't keep her hands off me. You didn't want forever, she wants that and more. Tanya/Bella Femslash
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: Update 08/22/2013**

**I have not read the last book in the series, so I have no idea how canon Denali's act. I only have the little bit in the movie I saw a while back and all the FF I read about them to go off of. So if any of the Denali's are really OOC, sorry but I don't know what OOC is or isn't when it comes to them.**

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><p>It's the first day of school… again, in another small town... again. Charlie had thought moving to a new town would be a good way to help 'cheer me up' and, to forget. I know his heart was in the right place when he decided this, but it had only made me angry with him. I didn't want to leave Forks; I didn't want to live in Denali, Alaska. I had everything in Forks; everything to remember them by was there: their house, the Pack and more importantly our meadow. Without those reminders that they are in fact real, I don't know what I'll do to keep their memory fresh. One thing was clear though, I may not have wanted to forget them but I never wanted to get lost in their world any more. It hurts too much when they have to leave without me.<p>

The only thing I had left to remember Forks by and what had happened there, was a few pictures of my human friends and my truck. It was the very same truck that helped me figure out the Cullen's secret and allowed me into their world; I didn't want to lose that. Charlie was going to make me get rid of it at first but he eventually realized he would have had to get me another car to replace it or he would have had to be my ride everywhere until I could replace the truck. So in the end, he had it shipped out to be with us. At least at this point I wouldn't have to walk everywhere if I ever needed to go somewhere and Charlie couldn't give me a ride.

It's already lunch on my first day and it feels like deja vu. I had already managed to get a new set of 'friends' that kept me from brooding by myself and becoming the schools new loner. This new group reminded me a lot of my old group, especially since we all practically met the same way, though there were slight differences. I hadn't learned most of their names yet as I honestly didn't plan on seeing them after we graduated. I probably should though since it would be polite since they did adopt me into their social group. Even though I didn't know their names, they seem just as determined as my old group to be friends with me.

The 'Mike' of the group was more persistent than the original and I had never thought that would have been possible. He was going as far as to try and wrap his arm around my shoulders or really just any sort of physical contact with me at all; which is something I definitely didn't do with someone I had known for a while much less someone I just met. This 'Mike' was as ignorant as the other one as well; he doesn't seem to get that I had absolutely no interest in him at all. I really wanted to tell him that my heart lies with a pale, bronze haired boy, but something told me that unless he could see this boy, he wouldn't believe me.

The 'Jessica' and 'Lauren' of this group are bitchier than their counter parts from Forks. Those two wasted no time in pointing out and mocking my unfortunate clumsy nature. I'm pretty they were the cause of most of my 'trips' but I have no actual proof aside from my word, so I wouldn't be saying anything anytime soon. Plus, who would I even tell that would be able to get it to stop? No one, so there's no point.

The 'Eric' of the group seemed a little cooler than the old one, which I guess wasn't terribly hard to do. This one, ironically enough, also claimed to be the eyes and ears of this school and was also on the newspaper club but thankfully he made no attempt to write a story about me. So he got major kudo points for that. Fortunately, this 'Eric' has no interest at all in me, which earned him even more kudo points; because he was already with the 'Angela' of the group.

'Angela', whose name was the only one I had actually bothered to remember, is amazing. Grace, which is her real name, seems just as silent as Angela. Except when 'Jessica', or usually 'Lauren' go too far in their not so snide remarks, she doesn't hesitate in putting those two in their place, which is awesome even though it doesn't shut the two up for long. I'm actually pretty sure a lot of people want to beat those two up or at least teach them a lesson that would involve some sort of physical violence because of how bitchy they can be; but no one has because yet that I know of because I think of Grace somehow. Like Angela would, she forgives those two every time they would do something stupid; which is often and no one really wants to get Grace mad because for some reason because it just, well, it seems wrong somehow.

Thinking of the people, the humans, I had left behind in Forks only made me more depressed. I knew I had grown apart from them these last couple months, but it still hurt to leave them; especially Angela; she was always a good friend even when I wasn't. I had grown used to them in the short time I knew them. They were actually the first people that I had grown even just a little close to; I didn't really have much luck in the whole friend department thing back in Phoenix. I may have ended up drifting away from but I still valued the relationships that I had built with them and I was sad to lose it.

"Bella, the bell rang; aren't we going to walk to math together?" Grace asked, effectively breaking me from my inner musings.

See, she's just like Angela. She was polite enough to not point out the fact that I completely zoned out during practically all of lunch and had even managed to forget to eat; which means I'll have to find something to eat when I get home, if Charlie has gone shopping because I definitely haven't, which I doubt. She could have even ditched me since I was basically ignoring her and everyone else, but she decided to be nice and wait for me and even bring me back to reality.

"Sorry," I half-heartedly mumbled as I gathered my stuff so we could leave.

She gave me a reassuring smile which meant she wasn't bothered by my lack of attentiveness, before we both stood up to throw away our lunch trays and finally go to our next class. The walk to math class was spent in a comfortable silence while we maneuvered our way through the clutter of what is known as the student body to get to our class. We managed to get there with just a couple minutes to spare. I guess Grace was nice enough to not let me escape into my own world during lunch long enough to make us late.

As I walked into the classroom I noticed two things right away. The first being the only available seat was in the back behind 'Lauren'. Funny when I asked who could show me to class 'Lauren' had made it a point to say she doesn't have any classes with the new kid. Luckily that was the same time Grace showed up at the table and offered to walk with me. Knowing how nice 'Lauren' had already been, I'm expecting to get tripped probably every day because she seemed to find me falling amusing.

The second thing I noticed was the set of very un-human like golden eyes looking directly at me from where the, usually very human, teacher would usually sit.

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><p><strong>AN: I know this sounds similar to another Tanya/Bella story, but I just want to make clear that this is going to be totally different. I also want to point out the reason why they moved is because Charlie found out about Bella's cliff diving and other dangerous stunts she did. She went cliff diving with Jacob; so it wasn't actually that dangerous since she was with a pack of wolf type critters, it was more of an adrenaline rush. So when Charlie was offered to transfer to Denali, he accepted it. Bella is also a senior, I don't remember if she was a senior in New Moon, but she is now.**

**I also don't know that much about Alaska and their endless days or nights and what not; much less about the actual place itself. So I figure since this is all stuff made up in my head, I can just 'adjust' stuff to suit my needs.**

**And finally, I know this is really short, but this is just to get the story going, future chapters will not be this short.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

_The second thing I noticed was the set of golden eyes looking at me from where the, usually very human, teacher usually sits._

There's a vampire. A vampire is teaching this class. The only good thing I can think of is at least it's a vegetarian vampire. Even knowing she doesn't hunt us, I don't want to let this strawberry blonde vampire know I know what she is.

After a brief pause in the doorway from when I first saw her, I stumbled my way over to her desk so she can do her normal teacher duties and assign me the only free seat in the class.

"Um, I'm Isabella Swan, I just transferred here." I told her while handing her a piece of paper to sign that I have to turn in tomorrow.

When she took the paper, I thought I saw her eyes darken slightly; I guess she's not immune to how good I apparently still smell.

"Isabella." The vampire said, sounding almost like a purr. Her voice sent a chill down my spine, but in an oddly good way. "I was under the impression you preferred to be called Bella?" The vampire asked.

What? How did she know? I only tell that to people that I've actually met, and I know for a fact that I've never met her before. I remember every vampire I've ever met, granted I haven't met that many, but still.

She smirked at my obvious confusion, but offered no explanation. Just as I opened my mouth to say something, not that I knew what I was going to say, the bell for class to start rang.

"Well, Bella, my name is Tanya Denali. I will teach you all you need to know. Why don't you go take a seat, right there in the back." Ms. Denali said while pointing to the seat.

Her name sounds familiar, not familiar as in it's the name of the town I live in now, but as in I've heard the name mentioned before. For the life of me I can't remember when, where or even why I would have heard this name.

"O-okay." I stuttered to her.

I couldn't but stare at her eyes; eyes that are the exact same color of the ones that have caused me so much pain, so much heartache. These eyes seem different, I'm pretty sure it's a good different, but I'm not sure.

What I am sure about is that I'll try my best to stay away from this vampire. I'm a senior with less than a semester of school left; then I'm on my own. I don't want to be around the supernatural anymore. It hurts too much to be around them since eventually it always becomes clear that I'm just a human and don't fit in with them.

As soon as I realized I was just staring at her, I blushed and quickly turned to go to my seat. By the time I got to my seat I only tripped twice and not because of 'Lauren'. I tripped because I was trying to get to my seat quickly to avoid any further embarrassment; of course that never works for someone as graceful as me.

The first half of the class was easy; all we did was take notes. Math was never really my forte; all I could ever manage to get was a 'C'. Technically a 'C' is a passing grade, so I never really cared too much about putting forth any extra effort to improve it.

But I did take good notes. Edward always made sure I did so that we could go over them before a test. With his help I had raised my grade to a 'B'. But due to recent…events, my math grade dropped to a 'D'. Charlie was less than pleased with that. So I made sure I wrote down everything Ms. Denali wrote and a lot of what she said. Everyone actually seemed to be very attentive to what she was saying, but I think that's the vampirism working not the subject matter. After she had given us all the notes she wanted to, she gave us ten practice problems to work on for the rest of the class and she wrote down the homework assignment on the board.

Normally when students were given class work, there's always talking and usually the teacher doesn't care unless it gets to loud. But right now it's so quite that I'm pretty sure I could hear a pin drop, it's a little unnerving. I'm guessing Ms. Denali is a strict teacher, that or people are too afraid of her to do something to risk getting in trouble. She is a vampire, so I'm betting they are too afraid of her.

What was more unsettling than the silence was when we started our work; Ms. Denali kept her eyes on me the whole time. At first I thought I was just imagining things, but when I looked up at her I could clearly see her sitting at her desk and blatantly staring at me. She has her elbows on her desk with her chin lying on her clasped hands. She wasn't even trying to hide the fact that she staring at a student. If anyone noticed though, they weren't showing it.

Once our eyes met, she winked and I blushed and returned to my work. That was easier said than done though. My blush would not go away while I knew she was staring at me. I tried focusing on my work and it seemed to work when I got stuck on a really hard problem. I was so into trying to figure it out this stupid problem that I not only had I almost forgotten about being stared at, but my blush was almost gone.

At least it was until I felt a hand on my right shoulder and a presence to my left. I looked up from my work and found Ms. Denali next to me looking down at my work. She kneeled down and pulled my paper closer to her. With her left hand, since her right arm is still around my shoulders, she started working out the problem for me and told me what I did wrong and how to fix it. I almost wasn't able to pay attention to what she's saying because not only is her voice mesmerizing, but her smell is very distracting; more so that Edwards' ever was.

"Does that make more sense Bella?" Ms. Denali asked, now looking at me.

"Um, ya." I answered, still unable to talk properly to her.

Ms. Denali smirked at my very eloquent answer before she stood to address the class…with her arm still around my shoulders.

"I expect all of your homework to be on my desk by the start of class tomorrow. Remember if you need any help at all, I'm here after school every day until five."

Just as she finished talking, the bell rang, releasing us from this class. Ms. Denali's arm stayed around my shoulders, officially keeping me in my seat, until all the other students left. Grace was the last one out of the room, she seemed to have waited for me at first, but when it became clear I couldn't get up, she left.

"Can I go now?" I asked after Grace left.

She finally took her arm off me, and then moved to lean against the desk in front of me, staring at me with darkened eyes. This probably isn't the best position to be in. I'm alone in a room with a vampire that seems to be losing control, lucky me.

"I've heard a lot about you Bella." Ms. Denali finally said.

"Okay?" What did she hear, and from who?

"When I was first told about you, maybe a year or so ago, I was intrigued." She seemed like she was going to continue, but a student for her next class came in. "I look forward to getting to know you better Bella."

I would have asked her to elaborate what she meant by that, but if I wasted any more time, I might be late for my next class; which I still have to find. As she left to her desk, I quickly packed up all my stuff and bolted for the door. In my rush to leave, I nearly ran straight into another student, the person wasn't as clumsy as me and easily dodged me; so we luckily didn't collide. Once I was walking down the hall, running was obviously too risky, I heard the unmistakable sound of a vampire laughing.

My last two classed were over fairly quickly. To be honest, I don't even remember what I was supposed to learn in either of them. Every thought in my head is about Ms. Denali. No matter how much I tell myself to not think about her, I do. There are so many questions I want to ask her. Like how did she know I preferred to be called Bella and not Isabella? Or who told her about me, and why does she want to know? As much as I want to ask her these questions and more, I really don't want to. I'm committed to staying out of her world. Edward made it clear, I'm not for their world; if I was he would have stayed with me. But he didn't, he left, they all left. I couldn't even hold onto Jacob.

So no, I won't ask her any of those questions. I'll only talk to her when I have to; which means it might be a lot because I really hate math as it hates me, but I really need to pass the class. Maybe I'll only talk to her during class, if I talk to her after school, well, that just opens doors. It shouldn't since she's my teacher; but I'm pretty sure she doesn't care about that. If her actions during class were anything to go by, I'd say I'm right.

I met up with Grace and group as I left the school building to go to the student parking lot. As we started breaking apart, because there were arriving at their cars, I realized the teacher parking lot is right next to ours. That realization came at the same time I felt someone watching me. I would have guessed it was 'Mike', but he's talking to me from right next to me with his eyes on the ground. So I carefully looked around, already guessing who it was. At the edge of the teacher parking lot, closest to the student one, I spotted Ms. Denali starting at me. Shouldn't she be in her classroom helping a student or grading papers or something?

As if reading my thoughts, though I'm positive she can't since the actual mind reader couldn't, she smirked, winked at me then walked away towards the school.

"So will you?" 'Mike' asked.

Wait, what did he ask? I was too focused on finding who was staring at me that I didn't hear anything he said. I hadn't even noticed that it was only me and him walking now.

"Huh?" I asked turning my attention to him.

I wish Grace was here, she would surely save me from whatever it is 'Mike' just asked. Hell, even 'Jessica' would try to take up all his attention.

"Well, a group of us, you know, Grace, Zach, Sarah and Lindsay are all going bowling tonight. We were talking about it during lunch, but you seemed kind of out of it. Do you want to go? I think Sarah and Lindsay are bringing dates, and I don't know, maybe you can be mine?" 'Mike' rambled to me.

At least he gave me Sarah's, Lindsay's and Zach's names, now I just have to remember which girl is which. Though I'm sure if I actually tried to, I could.

Whoa, did he just ask me out on a date to group bowling?

"Listen…" Crap, what's his name? "I just got out of a long relationship. I'm really not looking for another one." I told him. Maybe he won't realize I don't remember his name.

"Oh, well, that's okay. We can just go as friends together." He said, though it sounded more like a question.

If I agree, Charlie won't be so worried about me. If I act like a normal teenager that didn't just had her second family abandon her, then Charlie will be happy and after I graduate I can on with whatever life Edward thought I could have.

"Fine, I'll go as friends." I agreed; guess now I'll have to learn his name.

We exchanged phone numbers so he can call me and give the necessary information later. Now I just have to get Charlie to say yes. It's a school night, so he might not want me going out. But he's also been trying to get me to hang out with friends for the last few months, so he might say yes. I'll just have to wait for about an hour until he gets home, then I'll find out his answer.

I left the school grounds quickly before anyone else could try to delay my departure any more. Not that I actually thought someone would, but whoever wants to risk staying at school longer than they have to? Especially when they have nothing to do; not this kid, that's for sure.

About an hour after I got home, I had my chores and homework done and I had even gotten the bowling info from 'Mike'. I guess we're all meeting in two hours for several games of bowling and eating there and apparently he's giving me a ride; which is fine with me because that'll save me gas money. As I hung up with 'Mike', Charlie came home.

"Bells, I'm home!" Charlie yelled as he walked in the house.

I left my room and walked downstairs, the sooner I asked him the better. I might talk myself out of going. A night with 'Mike', Sarah and Lindsay does not sound like fun. Even though Grace and Zach will be there, it still doesn't seem like that much fun.

"Hey dad, how was work?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen, where he was taking off his police gear.

"Nothing too out of the ordinary happened. How 'bout you, how was school? Did you make any new friends yet?" Charlie asked. He almost sounded like a high school gossiper trying to get new juicy information about the latest scandal.

"School was school. I actually did make some new friends. They um, actually asked if I can go bowling with them in a couple hours. Is it okay if I go?" I asked, still not sure which answer I want.

His face lit up for only a second when he heard I had friends. But when I asked to something tonight, he frowned slightly, probably because of it being a school night.

"Well, I think you should." Damn it, now I have no choice but to suffer with Sarah and Lindsay. "Just don't stay out too late, do you need money?" Charlie asked.

"Ya dad, I do. Um, thanks." I said as I started to make my way back to my room.

"No problem Bells, I'll leave money on the counter for you." Charlie said as I started up the stairs.

I wasn't going to change into anything else, what I wore to school is just fine for bowling. So I spent my time waiting for 'Mike' to pick me up by reading. It seemed like I had only just started when I heard Charlie calling for me.

"Bella, Matt is here!" Charlie yelled from downstairs.

Oh joy, time for bowling.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>The trip to the bowling center was annoyingly long. The drive took half an hour, literally, I should know because I watched the clock the whole time. This town isn't big enough for a half hour drive from one side to the other, much less a trip to the bowling center. During the whole stretched out trip Matt kept telling me how amazing he is at football, how amazingly fast he is on the field and how amazing his truck is. I swear by the end of this ride I never want to hear the word amazing again, I'm actually pretty sure he doesn't know any other adjectives.<p>

When he started to compare his 'amazing' truck to my, as he stated, 'my heap of scrap metal that attempts to be a truck', we were parked at the bowling place. It was good timing for Matt because I was seriously close to yelling at him, the truck may be old, but I happen to love it and I don't like people making fun of. I may not want to become best of friends with these kids, but I don't want to be a loner for the rest of the rest of my high school career either; Charlie wouldn't like that.

So instead of doing something I shouldn't do to Matt, I hurriedly left the truck (believe it or not I didn't trip), slammed his door and walked off towards the building. Matt caught up with me about half way through the parking lot, acting like I didn't just walk off upset. Although he didn't try to wrap his arm around my shoulders or grab my hand or anything so I guess he did know that he pissed me off. The whole time we walked he just talked about us bowling in pairs, or in teams or something. I wasn't really paying attention; I had all my focus on getting to the rest of the group that's hopefully already here.

"Hey guys, what took you so long?" Zach asked as Matt and I go to the counter to get our shoe rentals.

"I think Matt got lost." I mumbled, causing both Matt and Grace to laugh.

"I wasn't lost." Matt said defensively. "Here Bella, I'll pay for you; since I got us here late." He said while shoving my already out stretched hand away from the cashier.

"You don't have to; I've got more than enough." I argued, but he completely ignored me.

"So are Sarah, Lindsay and their dates here yet?" Matt asked while we waited for the cashier to get our shoes.

"Sarah and Lindsay are here, I guess their dates backed out. We've actually been here for about twenty minutes. We only came up here because we saw you guys walk in." Grace answered.

"Guys, guess who's in the lane next to us?" Zach asked, sounding very excited, as we grabbed our shoes and walked down the surprisingly crowded building to our assigned lane.

From Zach's tone I would have thought we would be bowling next to someone high up on the popularity totem pole from school. If it was, then I honestly don't care, although they might be able to get Matt's attention off of me.

"Who's next to us?" I asked, kind of hopeful about the possibility of Matt leaving me alone.

"Ms. Denali and her family are." Grace said; there goes my chance of having a good night, now I know I won't be able to get rid of Matt.

"They're all really good to." Zach added.

Of course they are; they're vampires. I'm pretty sure there's nothing vampires aren't good at. I wonder how many there are. I wouldn't think that many since Edward had told me once that vampires don't usually have large covens like his family. He said the size of his family was basically unheard of.

Sure enough, in the lane next to ours are five golden eyed vampires. As soon as she was in my view, I could tell Ms. Denali has her eyes glued to me, it's a little unnerving. I will have to make sure to keep up my act, or try to anyways, of me not knowing what they are. I don't want any more attention on me. Maybe they'll leave me alone if I do.

Instead of focusing on the vampires next to us, I need to focus on bowling and not hurting myself or my classmates. Being a clumsy person with a heavy ball doesn't really mix well. I'll have to try and find a really, really light ball, maybe one that weighs only a pound? Do those even exist?

"Okay, so I'll go first, then Lindsay, Matt, Grace, Zach and finally Bella can go last." Sarah announced.

"That's fine with me." Zach said as he sat down on one of the chairs surrounding our lane.

"Come on Bella, let's go pick out a ball to use." Matt said, once I had my bowling shoes on.

He didn't give me an opportunity to answer before he grabbed my hand and started leading me over to a rack of bowling balls…ones that are really heavy.

"Matt, these are too heavy for me; I'm going to try and find a lighter one." I told him.

He responded with a mumbled 'okay' and continued to test out the different balls. I turned around to start my own search of a bowling ball. But instead of turning into what I had hoped was a clear pathway, I turned right into Ms. Denali. Literally, I turned right into her and was immediately reminded how hard their skin is.

I took a couple steps back and rubbed my shoulder that hit her.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there." I apologized and then tried to leave, but she blocked me.

"It's no problem Bella. Let me show you where a lighter bowling ball is, they tend to be scattered around this place." Ms. Denali said.

She placed her hand on my lower back and guided me to another rack. Even after we started walking, she kept her hand on my back. I felt my face slowly start to turn red from her touching me. I swear there has to be a law somewhere that says teachers can't be this personal space invading with their students.

"T-thank you." I stuttered when she showed me what we were looking for.

"You look very cute when you blush; it enhances your mouth watering scent. I might have to keep that blush on you permanently." Ms. Denali said, making my face look even more like a tomato, at which she smirked, looking proud of herself.

I was working on building up courage to say something to her, to try and get away, but Matt yelled for me before I could. I was actually finally thankful for him.

"Bella, you ready yet? It's your turn next." He yelled from where the others were waiting their turn to bowl.

I turned back to Ms. Denali, still intent on saying something, but she was faster than me.

"Don't keep them waiting on you for too long; I don't think they have as much patience as I do when it comes to waiting for you." Ms. Denali said then quickly turned around and went to the snack bar.

"Bella, come on!" Zack yelled.

I shook my head in attempt to get Ms. Denali's very confusing actions out of my head. With my bowling ball in hand, I headed back to my group. The entire time I purposefully avoided looking at the vampires in the next lane, even though I know they've glanced at me, several times.

"What did Ms. Denali want?" Grace asked when I rejoined the group.

"She only showed me where a lighter bowling ball was." I said.

"You're up Bella; get a strike!" Zach cheered.

It seemed like they had more questions about what Ms. Denali and I talked about; I mean who wouldn't want to know what took place between a teacher and student during non-school hours? But Zach provided me with an escape I was all too willing to take.

I walked up to the starting line and held the ball in what I think was the starting position for bowling. Everyone I've seen bowl starts this way, so it's only natural that I do also.

Okay, my goal is to just get the ball to the end of the lane, nowhere else, just the end of the lane. My goal is to not hurt anyone in the process of getting the ball to the end of the lane and hopefully knock over some pins in the process. No one here really knows how clumsy I can tend to be, so hopefully I won't embarrass myself to much. I've got this; this is easy, simple even.

I started the short walk down the lane, eager to be done with this before I do something stupid. As I approached the final line that we're not allowed to pass, I swung my arm back and with as much strength as I could muster, I swing my arm forward and released the ball in the direction of what I thought were the pins.

Instead of the ball going forward to knock over some pins, the ball went straight up in the air. I quickly ducked my head and covered my head with my arms as I fast walked back towards the others to try and not get hit by the ball. As I reached my group, who are all laughing at me, the ball landed on the ground with a loud thud. Not only is my group laughing at me but so are the vampires, awesome.

"Wow, Bella, you've got some amazing bowling skills." Zach said in between laughs.

"You're supposed to throw the ball forward." Sarah said, he voice thick with sarcasm.

I had to resist rolling my eyes at her or going down to her level with another stupid remark of my own, though it's very tempting to do so.

"No offense Bella, but you're horrible." Matt said once he stopped laughing.

"I know; I'm a little surprised I didn't hurt myself or anyone else for that matter." I said.

Even though my face is red from embarrassment, I was able to still look at everyone instead of averting my eyes. The only person I couldn't look in the eyes is Ms. Denali. I know she laughed at me because who in their right mind wouldn't…that and I saw them all laugh at me. But I know she's kept her eyes on me since she got back from the snack bar, and I just can't make myself return her stare.

"Hey Bella, why don't you let someone bowl for you for a couple rounds; then I can teach you how to bowl without risk of hurting anyone?" Matt asked.

The offer seems legit enough since it would be for everyone's best interest that I learned how to throw the ball at the pins not the ceiling. The look in his eyes, however, said he most likely has something planned.

"Please do Bella; I don't want you to hit me. Though I'm not sure any amount of help from Matt will improve your skill at all." Lindsay sneered.

"I'll bowl for you if want Bella; while Matt helps you." Grace kindly offered.

What's the worst that can happen if I accept? I really do need to the help if I plan of getting even one point. I really don't want to have to sit out, that would be too boring. Plus, I'll get away from Lindsay and Sarah.

"Sure, I guess, thanks Matt." I accepted.

His eyes lit up and he instructed me to grab my ball, which is still on the ground and to follow him to an emptier area. I obeyed quickly, happy to leave Sarah, Lindsay and the vampires, but not before I told Grace thank you for bowling for me. Zach had shouted some remark about Grace bowling for me only to make sure I lost or something like that but I ignored him in my haste to leave.

"So where are we going?" I asked Matt as he led me farther away from our lane.

"The arcade; no one ever uses it, so it'll be easier to teach you without anyone laughing at how clumsy you are." He answered.

I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach when he said that and we entered a dimly lit room that was the arcade room. There was an air hockey table that that has seen better days and several ancient looking games. There's even one of those claw machines that was completely empty. It seems not even the employees go into this room.

"Now you can fling the ball in the air and not worry about hitting any innocent bystanders." Matt joked.

I laughed nervously at his attempt at a joke; I'm still starting to regret coming here.

"Okay, so why don't you show me how you throw the ball and we'll go from there." Matt said.

"Sure"

"Just don't let go of the ball." Matt said then laughed at his own joke.

I rolled my eyes at him, but did as he asked. This time was not as smooth as last time. Instead of the ball going forward, or even upwards, it went backwards. As I let the ball go, not on purpose I swear; Matt's eyes got huge. From behind me I heard a soft; very inconvincibly sounding 'oomph' from a voice that could only belong to a certain strawberry blonde vampire that I'm fairly positive is stalking me.

I slowly turned around, afraid to face a possibly pissed off vampire, as Matt ran past me.

"Ms. Denali, are you alright?" Matt asked.

I turned around as Matt 'helped' Ms. Denali up. I guess the bowling ball had knocked her down. She doesn't look mad though, that's a good sign.

"I'm alright. What are you guys doing in here alone? I thought you two were bowling with the others?" Ms. Denali asked as she got to her feet.

"Well, as you can tell." Matt said pointing to the bowling ball in Ms. Denali's hands. "Bella isn't that good at bowling, so I figured I would teach her a little."

Ms. Denali then gave me a smirk and a look that clearly said she's up to something.

"Is that so Bella?" She asked me.

"Y-yes." Dammit Bella, grow a pair and not stutter; if I can assault James with pepper spray, I can surely talk to this golden eyed vampire without stuttering.

"Well then, if I that's the case, why don't you go back with your friends Matt and I'll teach Bella here how to bowl." Ms. Denali offered.

No! This is the exact opposite of what I want. I don't want to be left alone with a vampire.

"It's okay Ms. Denali; Matt can teach me. We don't need to take any of your time. Thanks though." I said with mentally crossing my fingers and congratulating myself that I was able to say several sentences to her without stuttering.

Ms. Denali arched an eyebrow then smirked at me. It was almost like she was enjoying trying to get me alone. She turned her full attention on Matt, making him take a couple steps backwards away from her.

"I've been teaching for many years Matt; I have a lot of experience. Why don't you go Matt and don't worry; I'll teach Bella everything she needs to know." Ms. Denali said.

Naturally, with her being a vampire, Matt was all too eager to do what she said and leave. I'm guessing his self-preservation instincts are kicking in.

"Um, ya…sure; I mean…is that okay with you both?" Matt asked while backing away towards the only way out of this room. I guess he only asked because he was still trying to be a gentleman or at least polite; even though it's very obvious he wants to get the hell out of here.

"Of course it's fine." Ms. Denali said, answering for both of us. "Now go ahead and go back to your friends. I'll try not to keep Bella here for too long."

That was all Matt needed to hear. He nodded once then made a hasty retreat away from the predator known as Ms. Denali. Once he was out of sight, Ms. Denali turned around to face me.

"Now that we're alone, let's have some fun." Ms. Denali said with a smirk that I'm beginning to really hate.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>"<em>Now that we're alone, let's have some fun." Ms. Denali said with a smirk that I'm beginning to really hate.<em>

"Okay, um, so…what do you have in mind?" I asked nervously, trying not to take a step back from the predatory stare she's giving me.

"Oh, I have lots of things we can do in mind. But we only have so much time and there's only so much we can do in a public setting." Ms. Denali must not have been kidding about making me constantly blush because my face is bright red right now. "We can skip teaching you how to bowl; the best way for that is to simply practice." Ms. Denali said, giving me a way out of this situation.

"Then I'll just get back to my lane then." I said as I took a step to try and walk around her to get to the door.

"Well, I was hoping we could still do something together. I can teach you more than just math and bowling you know." Ms. Denali said while taking a diagonal step to, not only block me from the door, but she also closed the distance between us.

I took an involuntary step back to keep the distance between us. I guess I'll have to talk my way out of this room; it's not like I would have been able to move faster than her in the first place. If she wants me to stay in this room, I pretty much have no choice.

"W-what did you, um, have in mind?" I stuttered as I continued to back up; but the woman is annoyingly matching my steps.

My mind is starting to get jumbled from Ms. Denali obviously wanting to keep the distance between us small. I don't know what she intends on doing, but I don't think it can be good. Maybe my blood smells too good for her to control herself?

"Well, there are lots of things; but again, we have…limitations…for now." Ms. Denali said, her eyes gradually darkening with each step.

"Where did you hear about me?" Was the only thing my jumbled mind could think to say/ask as she continued her advancement. I have to be running out of room to move backwards.

"I think you mean 'who told me about you'. To answer your question though, I first heard about you when I was at home." Ms. Denali answered.

When she finished answering my stupid question, my back was completely against the wall and Ms. Denali threw all regards to my personal bubble out the window. Though I'm pretty sure, with her, it was never there to begin with.

"W-who told you?" I asked, trying to calm down from her being so close.

Ms. Denali placed her hands on the wall, on either side of my head; then leaned down and literally just started sniffing my neck. The whole time she did not touch me once, almost like she would let herself do anything but actually touch me. I guess even though she obviously likes the way I smell, maybe she does have control and doesn't want to eat me?

"You know who." Ms. Denali finally said after she sniffed me a few times. "Who do we both know that knows, and would care to say, you prefer to be called Bella?" She asked.

She kept her face as close as possible without actually touching me. Her cool breath is causing small shivers to run through my body; it's all very distracting.

Who do we both know? We both lived so far away from each for most of both our lives. I know she wouldn't have known my mom or anyone from Phoenix. I wouldn't even be surprised if she's never been to Phoenix because of the weather. I know she doesn't know my dad; all he knew were his cop buddies and the reservation people. No one else in Forks would kn-…oh…crap.

How could I have forgotten? Now I feel like a retard. The Cullen family, or more precisely Edward would have talked about me. When Edward left for a full week when I first met him, he said he had gone to visit his family that week. The Denali's, now that I think about it more; Edward mentioned them once or twice as cousins…of sorts since they're 'vegetarians' also.

"Edward." I whispered.

Ms. Denali let out a soft growl when I said his name. She finally pulled her head back so that I could see her darkened eyes. They weren't completely black and she could just barely still pass them for human colored eyes, but it's still a little concerning.

"Yes; I first heard about you from him. I was instantly intrigued about the human that blocked Edwards ability. But it wasn't until a few months ago when they all came to visit; Alice shared an interesting vision of hers with me." Ms. Denali said.

Ms. Denali lowered her head down to mine so that our noses were just barely not touching. This closeness is causing my heart to beat erratically in my chest and her insanely nice smelling scent is making my head spin slightly in its amazingness.

"W-what did she um…see?" I asked, barely containing my sadness of losing my once best friend.

I don't know how, but Ms. Denali leaned in even closer, I can feel her unneeded breath on my lips. Her eyes held such an intensity in them that made me believe what she was about to tell me is very important. I can even feel the coldness seeping from her body, causing my body to get goose bumps from the cold.

"She told me –" Ms. Denali started but was interrupted when someone slammed opened the door.

"Oh Tanya." A female vampire voice sang from behind Ms. Denali.

Ms. Denali lowered her head to almost rest on my shoulder, giving me a view to see an amused looking blonde vampire in the doorway. Ms. Denali growled just loud enough for me to barely hear it.

"What Kate?" Ms. Denali asked, clearly upset about Kate's sudden appearance.

"I was just wondering when you were planning on coming back." Kate said in an innocent voice, sounding just as amused as she looks which is betraying her innocent tone.

Ms. Denali dropped her hands off the wall, took a step away from me and turned to face Kate. Ms. Denali placed her hands on her hips and even though I can't see her face I can tell she's annoyed and pissed. I'm sure she looks like the perfect teacher that just caught a kid doing something stupid and is about to scold them.

"You interrupted me to ask me that?" Yup, she's really mad.

Ms. Denali's tone and question only made Kate's grin grow.

"Yup." Kate answered. She then moved into a 'thinking' pose, finger on her chin and all, then spoke again. "But of course there's always the fact that you've been in here; a private room, with your student, alone, for ten minutes while her friends have been wondering when she's coming back. But I'm sure you heard them talking about that right? And you were just about to come back right? Or were you two having too much fun to notice how long you've been gone?" Kate asked in a teasing tone, making me blush at what she was insinuating.

"Crap, I forgot about them." Ms. Denali said, not sounding _as_ annoyed or mad anymore. "I guess you should go back to them Bella. We'll have plenty of time, eventually, to have more fun alone together." Ms. Denali said after turning to face me.

The way she said 'fun' made me blush even harder because clearly she wasn't talking about us bowling together.

"Um, ya…I'll just go now." I said quickly and practically ran out of the room.

But of course two steps into my escape run I tripped over thin air. I felt cold arms wrap around me, stopping me from meeting the floor before I was even half way there. Instantly, almost instinctively, I knew it was Ms. Denali that stopped me from possibly getting hurt, not Kate.

"Thank you." I said when she let me go, blushing slightly from the embarrassment of falling.

"It's no problem; I'll always be there to catch you." Ms. Denali said; her voice full of sincerity.

I didn't waste any more time to even give her a weird look at her words and their possible double meaning before I left…a little slower this time though. I rushed, but not fast enough to trip again, to get back to my lane. I am so ready for this night to be over.

"Hey Bella, we were starting to think you weren't coming back." Zach teased when I got back.

"How long was I actually gone for?" I asked, blushing slightly from thinking about what would have happened if Kate hadn't interrupted.

I know Kate said we were in there for about ten minutes, but was she actually telling the truth or exaggerating? It didn't seem like I was gone for that long; at least I don't think I was.

"Not long enough." Lindsay muttered as she stood and started to take her turn to bowl.

"Only for about ten minutes, if that, so really not that long at all. Was Ms. Denali able help you at all with bowling?" Grace asked, after shooting Lindsay's back a mini-glare from her rude comment.

From the corner of my eye I saw Ms. Denali and Kate come back. Kate still looked really amused and Ms. Denali looked annoyed. I ignored the vampires though and focused entirely on my group.

"Not really; all she said was I needed to practice to get any better." I answered, not bothering to hide my annoyance about it. "So if you guys don't mind, I'll just sit out from bowling tonight. I don't really feel like trying to dodge any more bowling balls tonight." I said with a forced chuckle.

"I'll bowl for ya Bella. I've got more than enough skills for us both." Zach said, poking fun about my obvious lack of skills.

The rest of the night pretty much went on like this: Sarah and Lindsay making random rude remarks, Grace telling them to shut up, Zach making stupid yet funny comments and Matt hitting on me. Well, he was hitting on me, Lindsay and Sarah; but either way it was really annoying. The boy needs to stop when he's behind.

Two hours after I got back from my…talk with Ms. Denali we all paid for the food we ate and they paid for the games they played. We all said our goodbyes and Matt and I left together since he was my ride. Fortunately, Matt took the regular way home and I was walking through my front door less than ten minutes later.

"I'm home!" I yelled out to Charlie who was probably in the living room.

"Did you have fun?" Charlie shouted from the living room, see I was right.

"Ya, it was fun." I lied. The night wasn't horrible; but it wasn't good either. It was really just something to pass the time; although the part with Ms. Denali would have been nice to skip.

"Good. See, I told ya you would have friends in no time." Charlie said as I came into the living room.

"Ya, you were right." I said with a sigh, it's a good thing he's too focused on some random sports game on the T.V. to see me roll my eyes at my own remark. "I'm going to bed since I have school tomorrow." I said, faking a yawn.

"Sure, night Bells."

It took me about a half hour to take a shower, dry my hair so it wasn't soaked, get completely ready for bed and then to actually crawl into bed. Even though it really wasn't that late, I'm still exhausted from Matts' persistence and everything Ms. Denali did. I'm afraid to put too much thought into her actions, but I can't get her out of my head.

Right before I slipped off into sleep, I heard a very feint, yet familiar voice say: 'Sweet dreams my Bella'. The voice was accompanied with a small gust of wind that came from what I thought was a closed window.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating. I wasn't planning on updating for a little longer because of personal stuff, but when I got the PM from Zelda's Hero, I decided to just put some stuff aside to get this out. Hope you all enjoy.**

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><p>"<em>You're not good for me." A familiar, velvety voice said.<em>

_I'm surrounded by darkness, there's no sign of any type of light anywhere. I don't know where I am or how I got here and I don't like it. I want to move and leave this dark place; but my body won't respond to anything I tell it to do. I can't move in any direction, not that I know which direction I need to go in anyways. I can't even tell if I'm standing or sitting._

"_Where am I?" I asked out loud, thankful that my voice is still working when the rest of my body isn't._

"_You were a good distraction for a short time; but everyone always out grows their toys eventually." The voice said with such malice that it brought tears to my eyes._

_I never really thought we were the perfect couple like a lot of others claimed we were. Edward is beyond handsome and past perfection. He's a vampire, so of course he would what every girl wanted. He could have had anyone he wanted, vampire or human, but he chose me. Even though it was for a brief moment in time, I was grateful for what he gave to me. I'm just a clumsy human that gave a vampire my heart to have and control, even though in the end I knew he destroyed it. _

"_How do I get home?" I asked out loud again, trying not to let my voice show my emotional wreck I'm falling into._

_Maybe if I ignore Edwards' voice, I might find help elsewhere. Maybe someone else is here with us that can help me? There has to be, I can't be stuck here with someone that I can never have, no matter how much I want him._

"_We're leaving you; you never have and never will belong in my world." Edward said._

_His words stabbed through my heart, leaving me gasping for breath. His words hurt, but what hurt more is the fact that I agreed with him. How can a human ever compare to a vampire? It's just simply never meant to be. I knew this was going to happen from the beginning, so why did I still allow myself to fall so hard?_

"_He's wrong." A familiar, yet unknown, female voice said. The voice added immense comfort to the emotional pain racking through my body. How can a simple voice of an unknown person do that?_

_But she said Edward's wrong. That can't be right. I know he's right, a vampire and a human are not meant to be. No matter how much I wanted it to work, it just couldn't. Edward knew that from the_ _beginning, he only stayed with me for my sake, not his and I pushed him too far with my tempting blood._

"_You're much too good for him." The unknown female voice said, once again easing my pain._

_I know I know who the voice belongs to. I actually feel like I'm disappointing the owner of the voice because I can't recall her name. I know this person's name; it's at the tip of my tongue, just outside of my grasp._

"_What's your name?" I asked the voice, giving up on actually remembering it myself._

"_My name is –" _

-BEEP BEEP BEEP-

My hand automatically slammed down on my offensive alarm clock. I swear whatever I end up doing for my career; I'll make sure I do not have to get up this early…ever.

With my weird dream already forgotten, I groggily got out of bed and started to get ready for another ever so exciting day of school. That wasn't sarcasm at all…I swear. After a half an hour of getting ready, I found myself sitting at the dining room table with; both Charlie and I eating breakfast.

Charlie put down the newspaper he was reading and gave me a look that said we were about to have a serious discussion and there's no way out of it. I took the last bite of my food and gave him my full attention.

"I know we talked a little last night about your bowling trip with your friends; but as your dad, I want to clarify some things with you." Charlie said.

"Okay." I hesitantly answered, not really sure about where he's going with this.

"So um, you did have fun last night?" He asked, sounding a little hopeful.

"Ya, I did." I answered.

I wouldn't say I actually had fun. I would say I did something to take up time that didn't involve a book and got me out of the house. The entire night wasn't that bad at least. The last few frames of the night, when Ms. Denali didn't bother me anymore and when I didn't have to bowl was okay.

"So, you went with Matt?" Charlie asked, looking slightly uncomfortable about what he's asking.

Oh, I know where he's going with this now. It explains the somewhat hopefulness I can hear in his voice and see in his eyes. I guess he really wants me to go out with someone, maybe it will show him I'm over Edward…even though I know I'm really not.

"No, Matt drove me…like a chauffeur. I went with a group of fri-kids from school." I answered, trying to make it clear that there's little interest, or really none, in Matt at all.

That was close; I almost called them my friends by accident. I don't want anyone thinking Lindsay and Sarah are my friends, and I'm sure they think the same way. The only ones I would consider being friends with is Grace and Zach.

"Oh." Charlie said, sounding a little disappointed. "So it wasn't a group date?" He asked with a slight blush.

Clearly he doesn't like this topic any more than I do, but he's the one that started it.

"No, it was just a group of us hanging out from school. Nothing more." I saw Charlie open his mouth to say something else, probably another question. But I decided to talk before he could, sort of on the rude side, but I just want to end this conversation before we both get really embarrassed. "It's time for me to go to school. I'll see you when you get off work. Be safe dad."

I quickly put my dishes from breakfast in the sink, making a mental note to clean them when I get home and waved goodbye to Charlie while heading out the door. It's a little early to go the school, but I don't want to be questioned any more by Charlie, even though I know he's doing it out of love.

I know Charlie mumbled some sort of response to me when I left, probably something about him always being safe while on the job, but I still wanted to get out of there before he tried to rekindle the conversation so I didn't hear him.

It took me three tries to be able to get my truck to roar to life. I no longer have a personal mechanic I can monopolize when I want to, so I hope my truck doesn't break down on me anytime soon. If it does, I know I won't be able to afford to fix it. I guess I should try to find a job today after school. If I do get a job, then when my truck breaks down, because I'm sure it will, I can at least to try to pretend to be able to afford to fix it.

My inner musings of my dying truck and getting a job were interrupted when my truck sputtered to a stop in a parking space I don't remember driving into. I felt my face get covered in a small blush from my embarrassment. At least no one will know about my lack of observation skills while I drove this morning.

_**-TAP TAP TAP-**_

Though that doesn't mean I'm safe from my lack of observation skills during school. The sudden tapping on my window made me jump and scream bloody murder. I turned to see who just gave me my first heart attack and saw a grinning Zach. Clearly he is amused by the reaction he got from me.

"Come on Bella, join the rest of us!" Zach yelled at me since I was still safely locked in my truck.

Zach motioned over to a blue car where Grace, Sarah, Lindsay and Matt were all standing and talking next to. I nodded my head to let him know that I would come over as requested. He accepted my silent answer and went back to the group. I slowly grabbed my backpack, climbed out of the truck, closed the door and headed towards the group.

Grace and Matt were the only ones who showed any acknowledgement about me joining the group. They only gave me a slight nod, but it was still nice to be acknowledged. The whole group was already in the middle of a conversation when I arrived, so I just stood and listened to them.

"I like totally didn't get any of my homework done last night." Sarah complained and even had a pout on her face for more sympathy.

"Like, why not?" Lindsay asked feigning concern that Sarah apparently believed was real.

"By the time I got home last night I was too tired to do anything, I just went straight to bed." Sarah answered.

"You could have done your homework before we went, since we didn't start until the evening." Grace said with what sounded almost like a scolding tone. I guess she wasn't buying into Sarah's call for pity.

"That's what I did, well sort of. I got my math homework done at least. Ms. Denali is too strict when it comes to homework to not get it done." Zach said.

Zach must have Ms. Denali in another hour than mine, because I don't remember him being in the class with me. Ms. Denali does seem like a strict teacher. But would it really be that bad if someone didn't do their homework on occasion.

"How so?" I asked, finally joining in on the conversations since it finally caught my interest.

"I don't have her, but I heard she's given out detention before to students for not doing their homework." Matt said.

Can teachers even do that? Wouldn't giving the kid the bad grade be punishment enough for not doing the work? I think I call BS on him.

"That can't be true. Not doing your homework is not breaking any rules; it should only hurt your grade." Grace said, unknowingly agreeing with my silent remarks.

"I think I heard about that happening. It like happened last semester sometime, right? Wasn't it like a sophomore or something?" Lindsay asked, backing up Matt.

"Ya, it was!" Matt said, excited that someone believed him.

"I'm so going to get a detention." Sarah whined, I guess siding with Matt and Lindsay.

"No you won't." Lindsay said, coming to her friends' aide. "You have class in the afternoon, so just do the homework during your morning classes and finish during lunch. You won't get detention that way, as long as you finish before lunch is over, of course."

The five minute warning bell ended the short lived conversation. We all left to our separate classes with remarks saying that we would all meet up again for lunch.

Even though the conversation was over, it stuck with me all through my morning classes and even all through lunch. Maybe teachers really can give detention for not doing homework; but choose not to because it's stupid? Why am I even questioning this, it's stupid, no teacher can or would give a detention for not doing homework.

I walked as slowly as I could to Ms. Denali's class. I wanted to make sure I wasn't in the room with her by myself. So to do that I made sure Grace walked with me to class; she wouldn't let me walk as slowly as I wanted, but at least it guaranteed I wouldn't be alone with Ms. Denali. Every time that happens, well…it becomes uncomfortable; for me at least, I don't think Ms. Denali seems bothered by it all.

I haven't really put too much thought into anything that Ms. Denali has done in the less than two days that I have known her. I should start doing that though, especially after what happened last night; but I can't bring myself to. I still don't want anything to do with the supernatural world, but it almost seems like I don't have a choice in the matter.

Luckily Grace and I weren't the first students in Ms. Denali's class, but that didn't stop her from openly staring at me like she seems to always do. When I got to my desk I quickly grabbed a book from my back pack and began reading it in hopes to be able to ignore her stare. I failed miserably at that, I can't shake the feeling of having her eyes on me. For some reason, I liked the fact that she was looking at me, but that's too weird for me to even fully acknowledge the thought.

After a few more students came in the class room, I vaguely noticed them all stop at Ms. Denali's desk before going to their own desks. Curiosity finally got the best of me and I glanced up as Sarah walk into the classroom and watched what she did.

She placed a piece of paper on Ms. Denali's desk, then like the other students, walked to her desk in front of me to sit down. Before she actually sat down, she made sure to take the time to glare at me, at which I only rolled my eyes.

What did her and the other students put on Ms. Denali's desk? A permission slip? No, what would we need permission to do in math for…to unite letters and numbers in an unholy union? I wish; I would so not let Charlie sign that form.

If it's not a permission slip than what is it? Homework? Oh…

I felt my eyes grow big at the two realizations I had, one was that I was stupid enough to forget about the homework that had fueled the conversation that had taken up most of thoughts today. The second reason is because I don't remember packing my math homework in my backpack yesterday or today. I grabbed my backpack and desperately went through its' contents, hoping to miraculously find it.

It took the final bell ringing, starting class, for me to accept that I forgot my homework at home. I guess now I'll find out if what Matt said this morning is really true or not. I mentally crossed my fingers in hopes that I'm right and Matt and Lindsay are wrong.

I looked up at Ms. Denali from my backpack that I just put back on the floor, as she stood from her desk to start class. Before she started talking she gave me a smirk that seemed to scream at me that she has something hidden up her sleeve. I gulped; probably a little louder than I should have and silently willed class to be over quickly.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the class was over. I purposefully got all my stuff ready minutes before the bell rang so that I can leave as quickly as possible. All I'm waiting for now is for the bell to ring, then as long as I don't trip, I'll race out of here before she gets a chance to talk to me. Or give me detention for that matter.

_**-Brrriiing-**_

I bolted out of my seat and dodged the students just barely getting out of their seats. I admit I look really stupid for trying to get out of the class so quickly. But wouldn't you do the same thing if you were sure the teacher has it out for you? Whether it's good or bad that she's out for me (I'm betting it's bad…but that could be the fear of the unknown talking), but I do know that she does have a special interest in me. I don't know why and I don't want to find out anytime soon.

I should have paid more attention to where my feet were going and not the imaginary plots Ms. Denali may or may not have. Because my clumsiness decided to show its' face when I thought I was actually safe. Right as I almost cleared past Ms. Denali's desk and almost out the door and out of her grasp, I tripped over the evil that is thin air.

I didn't land on my face like I normally do though. Someone with cold arms was kind enough to catch me before that could happen. Ms. Denali made sure I was once again as balanced as I could be on my feet before she released me from her arms.

"I'll see you after school about your homework Bella." Ms. Denali said as she released me.

I silently left the classroom, following the flow of students still leaving the room as well, with my head hung low. I wasn't able to avoid spending any alone time with her. Though I guess I never really stood a chance of avoiding her; she is a vampire after all. It was just wishful thinking that I could have avoided her.

At least there's a silver lining to this: she didn't give me an actual detention, I only have to talk to her after school, which can't be that bad right? That means Matt and Lindsay are wrong and I will gladly bring that up during lunch tomorrow.

As long as I survive being alone with Ms. Denali this afternoon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>For the rest of the school day I was a nervous wreck. I couldn't pay attention to what any of my teachers tried to teach me in any of my classes. I felt so out of place from the rest of the world, only going with the flow because of how my utter lack of observance from the outside world. I could only think about what I was told. The latter half of my school day had me in a total trance, only thinking about one thing.<p>

I was so out of touch with my surroundings that I became even more clumsy than normal. I didn't think that was possible, but it happened; ask the kid I fell on at some point during the day. After tripping for what seemed like the hundredth time, I finally started to force myself to calm down and focus on at least not walking into anything before I really hurt someone or myself for that matter.

It's not that big of a deal, I only have detention, wait…it's not detention. Ms. Denali didn't say I had detention, only that she wanted to meet with me after class. So does that mean I don't have to go since it's only a meeting? If I don't go today, would she give me a detention for not showing up? I guess I should go; I don't want to risk giving her any reasons to give me a detention.

These thoughts took up so much space in my head that I couldn't think about, or pay attention to anything else. So when Matt said, or maybe asked, something about seeing a movie, I almost agreed with what he said. Luckily some dormant self-preservation instincts activated and I hastily told him no. It was after he walked away with both a hurt and confused expression did I realize I had actually called him Mike instead of Matt. Oh well, they're the same in my book.

When the final bell rang, releasing us from school, I grudgingly made my way to Ms. Denali's classroom. Even with dragging my feet the whole way, I found myself leaning against the wall next to her opened door no more than five minutes after the bell. I know she's in there and I _know_ she knows I'm here. I just need a moment to gather myself before I go see what she wants.

I couldn't help but mentally scoff at myself and how pathetic I seem. I willingly gave myself over to a red eyed vampire that literally hunted me for my blood. I had spent nearly a year with a coven of vampires that, though they never acted out on it, (except once and I still feel it wasn't his fault and don't blame him at all) they all were still affected to a degree by my blood. I also hung out with a pack of young and sometimes very grumpy werewolves. Any of them, vampires or werewolves, could have lost control of themselves and hurt or even kill me. Yet here I am afraid to go into a classroom with one vegetarian vampire. Clearly she has to have some good control or she wouldn't be teaching by herself where if she slips no one could stop her.

"Are you going to come in; or would you prefer a more secluded place for us to get together?" Ms. Denali asked from inside the classroom.

My face went red from the not so clean thoughts that went through my head because of her words. Without further delay and because I can't think of any other distractions or excuses, I finally entered the classroom.

Ms. Denali, in her usual fashion, was sitting at her desk with her eyes glued to me. I immediately went to go sit in one of the seats of the empty classroom, but Ms. Denali had other plans and stopped me.

"I have a seat up here with me you will use. This way it will be easier for me to talk to you and to help you." Ms. Denali said while gesturing to a chair next to hers that wasn't in class before when I was here earlier.

I slowly took my seat, which was right next to her. As I sat down, I made sure I pulled the seat away from her so that she is in the middle of the desk and I am at the corner. There still isn't that much space between us, but it's better than both of us sitting in the middle. Which there's really no room for anyways.

"So um, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked when I was finally sitting.

There's no point in delaying this conversation with pointless conversation. I really want this talk over with and get on with what I wanted to do today: get a job. Or at least look for one.

"Are you in a hurry to leave me already?" Ms. Denali said with a pout.

The tone she used and the pout combined, actually made me regret what I said. She sounded so sad, like what I said really hurt her. In the back of my mind I registered the fact that I felt my heart ache a little at the thought of me making her sad, but it was easily ignored.

"Well, it's not that I want to leave per se, it's just I have plans to do stuff today that I wanted to get done. I didn't mean to come off as rude or anything; it's just –" I would have continued rambling off an apology, but her laughing cut me off. Now it was my turn to pout because of her laughing at me.

"Calm down Bella. I was just teasing you; although, it is good to know how flustered you get about leaving me. It's also nice to see your pout is almost as cute as your blush. It's good to know I have a very high chance of keeping you all to myself." Ms. Denali said, making me blush. "Now, the reason I wanted to speak with you is because of your homework or lack thereof actually. Why didn't you do your homework?" Ms. Denali asked.

Okay, so far this conversation is normal…except for her teasing me, but the actual topic is normal. Lots of teachers take their students aside and ask them why they don't do their homework. As far as Ms. Denali knows, I just didn't do it. So I guess she's giving me a chance to explain myself.

"Well, I did do it. I was just in a hurry to leave this morning and forgot to put in my backpack both last night and this morning. Hence, I don't have it now." I answered.

"Hmm, so if I have you do yesterday's homework right now, you would be able to without a problem? Since you did it yesterday it should be somewhat fresh in your memory right?" Ms. Denali said.

She wants me to work on my math homework in front of her? Ya, no. I hate math, well not really hate as much as I'm not good at it and it annoys me because of that. I don't want to have to do any more math homework (really just homework in general) than I really have to.

"Can I just turn it in tomorrow?" I asked, mentally crossing my fingers.

"Do you know the purpose of homework?" Ms. Denali asked, not bothering to answer me.

"To make sure we know the material." I said with a sigh in a monotone voice.

I have had several teachers in the past that have lectured the importance of doing homework. I really hope she doesn't give me a speech about it.

"Exactly, so who's to say that you really didn't do the homework and you simply needed more time to do it? So I just want you to finish the homework from yesterday to make sure you understand it."

Her reasoning seems perfectly fine for a teacher. I'm sure teachers do this all the time with their students. Again, she's just acting like a normal teacher that wants to help her students, not singling me out from everyone else. If she wanted to single me out, she would have brought this up in front of the whole class. So why do I have a feeling that she has an ulterior motive that I can't see?

"I guess I can, it's just I actually had plans for today. I'm afraid this might take too long." I said.

This is my last attempt to get out of this. She technically didn't say this is a detention, so I really don't have to stay if I don't want to. I already talked to her about the homework like she wanted, so there's no reason for me to stay.

"Oh? Well, I don't want to hold you from your plans." Ms. Denali said as her eyes darkened a little, like she was mad that I had plans. "I want to make sure you understand this so you can get a good grade. I promise not to keep you from whom ever you have plans with for too long." Ms. Denali practically growled the last part.

If I didn't know better, I would say she's jealous about me hanging out with someone else. Is that why she looks like she's a little mad? But that's not right…right? I mean, she's my teacher, granted a vampire teacher, but still, teachers don't care about who their students see or don't see.

"Actually, I don't have places with anyone. I was going to try and find a job."

I don't know why I felt the need to her that. But something told me to tell her that. When I did, her eyes were once again a bright gold. So I guess I made her happy, which somehow made me happy. Why would I care if she's happy or not though? I don't want to sound like a jerk, but she's a stranger to me, just a teacher. I shouldn't care.

Edward used to say I'm always perceptive and am able to read between the lines to figure things out quickly. But with what's happening between Ms. Denali and I, and I'm sure something is happening, I'm choosing ignorance for once.

"Well, it that's all you have to do I can help your search, that way you won't have to worry about staying here with me for too long." Ms. Denali said.

"How so?" I asked, genuinely curious as to what she means.

"My sister, Kate, owns a little bookstore. It's doing absolutely horrible, but she keeps it open to give her something to take up her time. I can call her and have her hire you." Ms. Denali offered, seemingly really happy with her idea.

"I-I don't think teachers are allowed to get their students jobs." I said.

Fate seems really determined to keep vampires in my life. It's almost like its' setting me up for heart ache. All I want is to forget all about the Cullen's. I know never will since I love them; they are…or were my family. I want to move on from and forget about Edward before finding a new boyfriend. If I don't, I know I will always compare any potential boyfriend to Edward. What human can compare to a vampire? None, absolutely none.

So I need to not have a constant reminder of him and his family so I can move on. Having a vampire teacher is bad enough; I don't want to work for one also.

"Those are human laws, none of which I have to follow. I would be the one to get in trouble from the school anyways, not you. Plus with today's economy and this being a small town, how likely do you think it is that you'll find a job?" Ms. Denali reasoned with me.

She did make some good points. But I will don't want to spend any more time with vampires that I already am.

"What if you do get in trouble? Shouldn't you care about that?" I asked.

The smirk Ms. Denali always wears grew a little bigger when I asked her my question.

"You care if I get in trouble?" Ms. Denali asked with an emotion I can't place.

"Well, I wouldn't say that, I just don't want to be the reason you get in trouble." I said quickly.

I saw her grin falter just a little, but it was back in place so quickly that I'm not sure if I really saw it fall in the first place or not.

"Well, to ease your concern of me, I really don't care what happens. The only laws I care about are the vampire laws and I have never and will never break those." Ms. Denali said confidently.

That didn't ease my concern at all though. One of the main reasons Rosalie hated me is because I'm human and I know their secret. She never said what the law actually is, none of them ever did, but I know it is a really bad idea to tell a human their secret and let them live. Shouldn't Ms. Denali and her…family or coven…be worried about me knowing?

"Since you now have a guaranteed job, you can stay here with me and work on your homework without worrying about the time." Ms. Denali said.

Any complaints I came up with about not getting a job on my own, about my teacher giving me a job with her sister and about just not wanting to re-do my homework fell on deaf ears. In Ms. Denali's defense, I didn't really put up much of a fight because well, she is a teacher and you can't argue with a teacher unless you want a detention. Which I really don't want, so I didn't try that hard.

* * *

><p>Halfway through the homework I found myself silently thanking Ms. Denali for her help. Just because I had done the homework it did not mean, at all, that I really understood what I was doing. I would never tell her that, but I still felt it.<p>

Whenever I got stuck on a problem, Ms. Denali would explain it to me without me asking her to. I guess she could tell when I needed help, which was nice since I never had to ask. With her help, I was able to understand the homework a little better.

It was also halfway through the work that I realized how close the two of us managed to get. Our chairs were so close to each other that they were practically almost touching. The chairs weren't the only ones almost touching. I'm partially hunched over my paper because of all the concentration I was giving it. Ms. Denali was leaning in slightly over the desk as well to look over my work as I did it. She has one of her arms draped over the back of my chair and was holding onto it; almost like she was keeping the chair in place. We're so close that the cold from her body is causing my body to get goose bumps.

We've been here doing this for about an hour, I personally think that's more than enough time to stay after school while not in detention or some other random after school club. Maybe she'll agree and finally let me leave?

I leaned back in my chair, forgetting her arm is there so I ended up leaving against it, and put my pencil down. She didn't move her arm or say anything about it, so I just stayed leaning against as I sat straight in the chair. I purposefully pulled out my phone to check the time, even though the clock for the classroom was directly in front of me on the opposite wall. I was a little shocked to see I had a text. I'll have to look at it later, right now I want to get out of this classroom.

"So, I think I've finally got this." I said, trying to sound non-chalant about the comment.

"Maybe, but doing a few more exercises with me won't hurt; practice makes perfect." Ms. Denali said, once again sending my mind to the gutter and making me blush.

I couldn't help the heavy, somewhat defeated, sigh that left my mouth. I don't think Ms. Denali will ever let me leave. She was so intent on getting me to stay; I doubt she would let me go after barely an hour. I guess she picked up on what I was thinking because before I could respond to her, she started talking again.

"But it has been an hour, which is about how long a detention is anyways. I suppose I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Just let me give you my sister's phone number so you can call her later. When you do call her asking for a job, I guarantee she'll give you one." Ms. Denali said.

* * *

><p>"Finally!" I said as I collapsed onto my bed at home.<p>

Once Ms. Denali had told me I could go, it took me all of five minutes to leave. It only took that long because Ms. Denali took her time writing down her sister's number for me. She also made me promise to call for the job.

At first I really didn't want to. I only made the promise while telling myself I never said when I would call and what exactly about the job I would ask about. I was fully intent on calling a few weeks later and only asking what the job entailed and doing or asking nothing else. That way I kept my promise and didn't have to work with Ms. Denali's sister.

But I changed my mind as soon as I found how hard getting a job really would be. After I left the school I stopped at a couple places I thought would hire someone at least for part time. I went to a grocery store, a couple clothing stores and even an electronics store, but not one of them was hiring. And none of them could tell me when they would be.

So almost two hours after school let out, I'm finally home. But because it is two hours later than normal and I still have to do my homework, do something that resembles a chore and also make some non-fast food dinner, any chance of sitting and being lazy is out of the question. Instead I get to go straight to work so I don't have to stay up that late and get no sleep.

I guess I should get used to that though for when I get a job at Ms. Denali's sisters' book store. It's the only job I can find, so I'll have to take it if I want to start saving to be able to afford to save my truck from its eventual death.

I'll do homework first since I can at least sit down someplace or lay on the floor to do so. But before I start, I should read the text I got earlier when I was still at school. I'm surprised I forgot about it until now because I'm really curious as to who it is and what they want. Not that many people know my phone number and even less have used it. I haven't gotten a text or call from anyone since I left Forks.

I fished my phone from my pocket, sat up on my bed and leaned against its headboard. I opened my phone and read the text.

_-I've got some awesome news, call me when you can_

_-JB_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>I wonder if I start a petition to get rid of anything to do with homework and had the whole student body sign it, which I'm pretty sure they all would, would anything happen because of it? Would some important educator type person take notice of it and do something? Would they limit the amount of homework that can be given out? Or would everyone just laugh at me for starting the petition in the first place?<p>

I guess it's only wishful thinking to do something to get rid of homework. I may understand why we have homework, but by no means does that mean I like it. I'll do it though without complaining…outside my own head for Charlie's sake. If I complain about my homework and about not wanting to do it, he might get the wrong idea and start to worry, I don't want that.

That's why I opted to do my homework before I call Jake. I don't know how long the call will take and I want to make sure I do my homework. Okay, why lie to myself? I just want to do my homework so I can show Ms. Denali that I did in fact learn what she taught me.

…

I mean, so I don't have to stay after school with her anymore with her re-teaching what she already taught us. Because she's a vampire, I'm trying to avoid their world. Ya, that's it.

Instead of doing all my homework though, I got lazy and decided to only do half of it and finish the rest after dinner and before I go to bed. When I finished my math and the easy homework, I decided to vacuum for my chore like activity. I figured it was the easiest thing to do. When that was all done (somewhat poorly I might add, but Charlie will never know) I made a quick dinner and left it on the stove for me to reheat later.

Once all that was finally all done and I had no more distractions, I headed back to my room to call Jake. I got in a comfy position on my bed and called him. He was quick to answer at barely the second ring.

"Bella, guess what?" Jake immediately yelled into the phone when he answered it.

"Hey Jake; I'm fine, how about you?" I said, amused by his obvious excitement.

Jake's good mood always rubbed off on me and would always lift my spirits almost immediately whenever I'm feeling down. When the Cullen's first left, he was my sun in the darkness I had been left in. When I lost all my human friends because of my own neglect, Jake and the pack took me in and helped cheer me up. They weren't able to fully heal me though, which is why we moved. Because of all he's done for me, to hear from him now and for him to be excited about something makes me happy.

Jake chuckled at me sarcastic remark before he answered me.

"Sorry Bells, I got a little excited there. I didn't mean to come off as rude." Jake said.

I can practically see Jake scratch the back of his neck with sheepish look on his face.

"It's fine Jake, no worries. What has you so excited though?" I asked.

I would ask if he's found his Imprint, but I don't want to be wrong and make him sad. It's common knowledge that Jake has a crush on me, even though I'm clearly not his Imprint since I am … was … mated to a vampire.

"My dad said I can go visit you. I even got the okay from Sam." Jake said.

He paused, I guess to let me say something, but I don't know what to say. So many questions are racing through my head and I can't pick one to vocalize. Why is he visiting, why does he want to? Shouldn't he be with the pack? Why would Billy and Sam agree? How long will he be here? When? Why?

"My dad talked to Charlie and he's gonna let me stay with you guys for a little while." Jake said when I didn't say anything.

"Um, wow; but um, what about school and stuff?"

That's the best question my mind can pick to ask? Clearly I must be in shock if school is the first thing I ask about. At least it is a legit question that any good friend would ask, right?

"Ha-ha, come on Bells, being in the pack keeps me out of school anyways. If Charlie asks, I'll just tell him I'm home schooled by Emily; so I can afford to take time like this off." Jake said, still sounding excited about his unexpected visit.

"Not that I'm not happy you coming here, because it'll be great to see a friend, but why?" I asked trying not to sound rude.

I haven't been gone all that long. I know we were close, best friends even. But I have been gone for only barely a couple weeks, that's really not that long. I would expect him to come to visit maybe before I left for college, like during the summer or even when I started college but not during high school.

As much as I want to see Jake, for the sake of seeing a friendly face that isn't Charlie, I really don't. Not because of anything bad, but because of the coven of vampires that live here, Ms. Denali's family. I know full well Jake would love to attack any of the Cullen's; especially after what they did to me. I don't doubt he would attack Ms. Denali and her family just because of what they are.

"Because I miss you Bella." Jake sounded both sad and a little hurt.

"I miss you too Jake, I honestly just wasn't expecting you to come to Alaska to visit; at least not when I haven't been here that long." I told him.

"Ha-ha, ya, that's what both our dads said." Jake said, no longer sounding sad.

"So um, when are you coming?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from making him sad again.

"Friday, I should be there when you get home from school."

The conversation didn't last much longer than that. He told me the pack and Emily said hello. He told me about everything he and the pack have gotten into; which was pretty much just working on his car. There really wasn't much more for them to do except patrol and even then, there aren't any vampires around.

The whole call lasted maybe a half an hour before we hung up. When we did finally hang up, I decided to call Ms. Denali's sister about the job she offered. I have this feeling that if I don't call her today Ms. Denali will bring it up tomorrow. So immediately after I hung up with Jake, I dialed the number Ms. Denali gave me; a very clearly vampire voice picked up in the middle of the first ring.

"Kate's Bookstore, Kate speaking, how can I help you?" Kate said in a borderline too happy tone.

"Um, this is Bella Swan. My teacher, your um sister, told me to call you about a job?" I said nervously.

I wasn't really sure what to say. I'm afraid that Ms. Denali didn't tell her sister and that I'm calling and saying this as some kind of joke. I doubt Ms. Denali would do that, but it is kind of random to have get a job offer from your teacher; it doesn't happen every day.

"Damn, now I'm not sure if I should hire you." Kate said, sounding a little annoyed.

Okay, so that's one thing I don't have to worry about. It sounds like Ms. Denali did talk to her sister about me and the job. Didn't Ms. Denali say this job is guaranteed? I don't think I said anything that should have offended her.

"What?" That's not exactly something formal or polite to say to my possible future employer, but it got my question out.

"I had a bet with my sisters that you wouldn't call today. Tanya and Irina said you would, though I guess Tanya would know." Kate said, although I'm not sure if I should have heard the last part or not, but I'm to ignore it anyways.

"I'm sorry?" I said, not really sure what to say to her about me causing her to lose a bet.

"Oh, its' okay, I'll get them back later. So, I hear you want a job?" Kate said, seemingly back into a good mood and focused on the purpose of the call now.

"Ya, um, yes please." I said.

I need to at least try and sound polite and semi-professional so I can make sure I get the job. Even though Ms. Denali said it was guaranteed I would get it, I don't want to mess up my chances. Though from what I've seen of Kate, she's anything but professional. She seems almost like a female version of Emmett; so I don't think I have anything to worry about.

"This is exciting! I get to give my first interview! I've only ever heard about them before." Kate said, sounding more excited than I thought someone could be for an interview.

"Okay?" I said, still really confused about what exactly is going on with this conversation and if I really will get the job or not.

"So when can you come in for an interview?" Kate asked.

"I can come in any time after school." I answered, the conversation now starting to sound more normal.

"Perfect, tomorrow after school come on in and I'll give you my very first interview. It'll be a fun learning experience." Kate said.

"Okay, where is-" _click_ "your…store?" I asked, even though she hung up on me half way through the question.

I quickly redialed so I can ask her where her store is, but the phone went straight to a voicemail that isn't set up. Why do I feel like they (Ms. Denali and Kate) did that on purpose to make I have to talk to Ms. Denali tomorrow?

I have to talk to her now, unless…the internet should have them listed somewhere. You can find anything on the internet now and days. Especially business, they all have some sort of reference somewhere that will lead to their location. I just have to find something that has Kate's store listed. I quickly got on my computer and waited while it not so quickly loaded. Once it did, I pulled up my search engine of choice and looked for Kate's Bookstore in Denali, Alaska.

Thirty minutes later it became painfully clear why Kate's business is failing. She doesn't have her business listed anywhere! There's not even a review for the store or any article of some sort, or really anything at all, that mentions it. I tried the store number several more times to try and get through, but I didn't have any luck.

I guess I have no choice but to talk to Ms. Denali tomorrow. I bet anything she'll drag out the conversation as much as possible. It's not that I don't like talking to her, I actually do like talking to her a lot, it's just that I shouldn't because she's my teacher and teachers and I never really get that close. I feel that teachers and students just aren't meant to be friends. Especially when the teacher is a vampire and the student is trying to stay away from that world.

…

I'm failing miserably at that whole staying away thing aren't I? I hung my head, a little depressed about how Ms. Denali is so easily pulling me into her world and if I was honest with myself (at the moment I don't want to be right now), I like it.

A car door slamming from just outside the house broke me from my thoughts; Charlie's home. Turning off my computer and then putting my phone away to charge, I decided I would need to talk to Charlie about getting a job to make sure it is okay with him. He is my dad after all, and technically I do need his permission since I live under his roof and all. I then made my way to the kitchen to heat up dinner.

After dinner was eaten and the kitchen was all cleaned up, Charlie went straight into the living room to turn on a random sports game. Much to his surprise, I followed after him and sat on the couch.

Not only should I ask him about the job, but also about Jake coming over. I don't mind, too much at least, that Jake is coming over; but a little advance warning would have been nice. I kind of didn't want to see him again until after I graduated and moved to where ever I was going to go to college. I also need to make sure I get permission for this job, since I have an interview tomorrow…at least I'm pretty sure it's a real interview.

"Hey dad," I waited until his eyes were on me before I continued. "Can we talk real quick?" I asked.

He immediately looked nervous. He probably thinks I'm going to ask for something big, or to do something that's really life altering. I guess I should have asked a different way. He muted the T.V. and gave me his undivided attention.

"Sure, what's up Bells?" Charlie said, trying to sound casual and not nervous, but failing at it.

"Can I have a job?" I blurted out, just to get it out of the way.

I decided to go with this topic first. This way if we get in an argument about Jake coming over, which I doubt we will but just in case, I'll already have my answer; hopefully the answer will be yes.

"Um, ya sure you can. Is there a specific reason you need one?" Charlie asked.

Now instead of looking nervous, he looks confused. Since I had a job in Forks, I shouldn't have assumed he might have said no this time; but you never know. Parents can be weird sometimes or most of the time depending on how you look at it.

"Not really, I just want to start saving. You know for a rainy day or something." I answered, half truthfully. I know why I want a job, to save money to eventually fix my truck for when it does break, but I don't want to tell him that. I don't know why I don't want to tell him, but something's just telling me not to.

"That's very responsible of you Bella." Charlie said, making me blush a little at the compliment.

"Thanks. Just so you know though, I actually already have an interview tomorrow; but I think it's pretty much a guaranteed thing. Is that okay?" I quickly ask for permission before, hopefully, he realizes I didn't ask before-hand.

Instead of answering, Charlie just chuckled at me. I narrowed my eyes a little before talking again.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked.

"Because I think, you think, you tried to pull a fast one on me." Charlie answered, when I could only give him a confused look in response, he continued talking. "You already had an interview set up before you talked to me. If you had really felt you needed my permission you would have asked me before you got an interview." Charlie explained.

I couldn't help but blush at what he was saying. Of course he would catch that. Even though to me he seems like he doesn't catch on to things too quickly, he really is an observant person, expect when it comes to the supernatural. He is the police chief after all he would have to be good at something like that to get that rank.

"Sorry." I muttered, trying to get my face to not be so red.

"Don't worry about it Bella. For future reference, you are eighteen, you don't need permission from me to get a job; just a heads up would be nice so I know." Charlie said.

Charlie has his moments. Sometimes I forget that Charlie, even though he is police chief, isn't really that strict…most the time.

"Thanks dad." I said. I nervously combed through my hair with my fingers before I brought up the next subject. "There's also one other thing I wanted to talk to you about." I said nervously just before he turned the sound back on the T.V.

"Sure, what about?" He asked, looking slightly nervous again.

"Jacob called and told me." I said.

He let out a heavy sigh then scratched the back of his neck. He didn't look nervous anymore, but he did look slightly sheepish.

"Sorry I didn't tell you. It was supposed to be a surprise. When he called and asked and when I finally agreed to let him, I thought it would be a nice surprise for you." Charlie admitted.

Doesn't this man know that next to parties, I don't like surprises? I never have, especially since the last big surprise I got was when my vampire family left me.

"I don't like surprises." I said with somewhat of a harsher tone than intended but not sure of what else to say.

"I know, but I thought it would be good for you. I just didn't want you to fall back into what you were when the Cullen's left; Jake was good for you. So when he asked, it didn't really take that much convincing for me to agree. I just want to make sure you are happy." Charlie said.

Its times like these that make me realize how much Charlie really cares. He may not say it all the time or even really show it too much. But stuff like what he just said and did with Jake, it makes me happy. I can't be made at him for not telling me; not when he had nothing but good intentions for me. Plus, I will be happy to have Jake here; it will be a good distraction from Ms. Denali.

"Its' fine dad, just don't make a habit of surprising me please." I said with a small laugh. "But thanks though, it means a lot to me." I told him.

To give my words more meaning, I got up from the couch and gave him a quick hug, one of which he returned somewhat awkwardly. After the hug, I told him goodnight and that I was going to finish my homework then go to bed.

My homework, the annoying stuff I didn't want to do this afternoon, took a couple hours for me to finish. I had to write something for my language arts class that wasn't due until Friday, but seeing as how tomorrow (Thursday) I have an interview, I wanted to get it done in case I didn't have time afterwards.

Once that was all taken care of, I put my homework in my backpack and made sure my math homework was in there. I even made sure to have yesterday's homework in there also in case Ms. Denali wanted me to turn it in still.

I did everything necessary to get ready for bed, and was able to fall asleep fairly quickly. I think the only reason I was able to, is because I'm kind of excited and nervous to see how the interview goes tomorrow.

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><p><strong>AN: Obviously this is a filler chapter; sorry about that, but it needed to be done. The next chapter will be filled with the interview with Kate and more Bella/Tanya stuff.**

**I also just want to tell you guys, I know you might be getting a little impatient with how slow everything is going, but I personally like a slow building relationship. I will try not to make it boring or drag it on for too long just for the sake of dragging it on, but I just don't like it when I read stories and within the first couple chapters the couple is already together. I personally like reading the courting of the pair. So basically, I'm going to make Tanya 'work' to get Bella.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: I feel I should warn you guys, I don't like Jacob; he annoys me. So just going forward, keep that in mind please.**

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><p>The first half of the school day passed slower than I would have liked. Even though I wasn't fully looking forward to having to talk to Ms. Denali, I somewhat was a little. She would make for an easy distraction from all the texts I've been getting this morning. Jake has decided that he likes texting. He apparently got a new cell phone early this morning and has been texting me none stop.<p>

At first I thought it was funny because I remember how excited I was when I got my first phone and was able to start texting people. When he sent me the twentieth text within a half hour time span though, I was starting to get a little annoyed. I stopped answering him when school started, thinking he'll take the hint and realize to stop being annoying. But he didn't. He just sent me texts about random things he was doing, almost like a play by play report of his day. Although since school started, they weren't as frequent, but they still happened frequent enough to annoy me.

I would have just turned my phone on silent, instead of vibrate, but I wanted to keep it on in case Charlie called and needed to speak with me right away. If it wasn't for my fear of something happening to Charlie while he was on duty, I would have turned my phone off in a minute.

As it is, I've kept my phone on vibrate and have nearly gotten in trouble in every class because of it. I think the only reason the teachers didn't actually yell at me or give me detention is because I didn't actually take my phone put. I knew it was a text, and I assumed it was from Jake, so I just let it go off the one time and kept it my pocket. Hopefully I'll stay that lucky for the rest of the day.

Right after I finished eating lunch and about fifteen minutes until the bell would ring, I quickly dismissed myself from the group of people that I eat with (the same ones that I had bowled with) and went to Ms. Denali's class. I have this feeling that she has lunch this hour also and won't be busy.

Her door was closed when I got there and I didn't see anyone in there, but she could have been in the back. So I knocked on the door and waited for an answer. A few seconds later and still no answer, I decided to just leave and come back five minutes before lunch was over. I turned around intending to leave, but instead bumped into a very hard and cold body.

"Oomph." I said as I knocked into Ms. Denali.

Ms. Denali placed a hand on my shoulder to help me gain back my balance. The whole time she had a bright smile on her face. I blushed a little at having run into her, but this time I was able to talk to her without stuttering, though I think that's because she hasn't teased me…yet.

"Sorry." I quickly said out of habit, even though it is her fault for standing so close to me. She's a vampire; I know she could have avoided hitting me in this empty hall.

"It's no problem Bella. Did you want me?" Ms. Denali asked, though the last question seemed like she meant something besides me just wanting to talk to her.

"Ya, I wanted to ask you something. I was hoping you could give me your sisters' stores' address. I couldn't ask her when I called yesterday and I couldn't find it online." I asked.

She didn't say anything, but instead moved around me to the door and unlocked it. She opened the door and moved aside for me to enter first. She followed closely behind me and closed the door. I walked to in front of her desk, not expecting this conversation to take that long, and she sat down behind her desk.

"Kate doesn't want any advertising for her business, in case the Volturi hear about it. She doesn't want the store to be that popular; it's only something to do with her time." Ms. Denali explained.

So if it's not that popular, then it shouldn't be that busy. I would assume a vampire with a never ending energy supply can run the store every day without a problem; especially if it's to cure boredom.

"Why hire me then?" I asked.

Ms. Denali smirked at me and gave me a look that I couldn't really decipher. The look though, was a pleasant look that sent a shiver down my spine in a good way; a shiver that I know she noticed.

"Because even though she wants something to waste her time with, she doesn't want to be doing just that all day every day." Ms. Denali said.

I guess that makes sense. Even though she could, unless she really, really loved books store and all that goes with it, why would she want to spend all her time there? Especially if she can hire someone to do so for her.

"Oh." Was my awesome reply, not much else I could have said that didn't make me look even more stupid. "So, can I have the address?" I asked, getting back on topic.

"Of course you can. It's very easy to get to. It's just on the edge of town, right off the main road." Ms. Denali said.

She took a piece of paper from her desk and wrote down the address and even wrote down the directions to the store from the school. She folded the paper up and handed it to me. When she handed me the paper, our fingers brushed each other. The contact caused a slight tingling sensation on my fingers; it also caused me to slightly blush. The smirk on her face told me she did that on purpose and knew that I would blush.

"Thank you Ms. Denali. I had tried calling the number back, but I couldn't get through." I said, hoping she would tell me why that was.

"I know. I happened to be on the phone all day, very important phone calls had to be made." Ms. Denali said, her tone giving away her lie.

I would question her on the lie, but why should I? The only thing that happened because I couldn't get through was I had to talk to Ms. Denali to get the address. It's not like it's any of my business who she talks to and for how long. Although, I'm pretty sure she was probably the one that hung up on me before I could ask the question.

"Did you do your homework this time?" Ms. Denali asked when I started to make my way out the door.

There's only about five minutes left before the bell rings, I didn't have any intentions of staying in here for the remaining time. No matter how small amount of time it is. As usual though, Ms. Denali's plans are different than mine. I stopped just past her desk to answer her.

"Yes I did." I said, somewhat smugly. "I also brought in the other homework that I forgot, that way I can turn it in if you want me to." I said with a smirk.

The pout on her face led me to believe she was expecting me to either not have the old homework or to not have done/forgotten to bring in the current homework.

"What a shame. I guess I won't have to give you another detention then." Ms. Denali said.

That was a detention? She never said it was! That means Charlie will probably find out somehow I might get in trouble with him. Won't getting a detention also go on my record? I have no idea, but it better not because she technically never said it was a detention.

"That was a detention?" I asked.

"Of course it was. What did you think it was?" Ms. Denali asked with her signature smirk back in place.

I have this feeling that I'm walking into a trap. I just can't figure out what her trap is and what she'll gain from it.

"You never said it was a detention." I accused, ignoring her question in case that was the trap.

"You're right I didn't, but I don't have to. I decided to have you spend your detention with me privately that way nothing gets reported to anyone else. Your record stays clean this way." Ms. Denali said.

I just stood their gapping at her. She gave me a detention, but made sure it didn't do anything bad to me. I personally don't know many teachers that would do that. She wasted her time yesterday with me when she could have done something more productive. Now I feel kind of mean about being so annoyed with having to stay after school with her.

"Thank you." I said as sincerely as I could.

"Anytime Bella." Ms. Denali said just as sincerely back.

Maybe a second later after she said that, the bell rang. So instead of going outside, I just went back to my seat. I head Ms. Denali shuffle papers around on her desk, probably getting ready for today's lesson. As I sat down, people started slowly coming in.

Class was nothing exciting. I ended up turning in just the most recent homework at the beginning of class with everyone else. Ms. Denali went over some of the questions people had about the homework and then taught the next lesson. After we didn't have any more questions for her about today's lesson, she assigned the homework and an in-class assignment.

During said in-class assignment my phone went off again. It was another text from Jacob. I hadn't gotten one from him since before lunch, so I honestly was starting to think he had gotten the hint and stopped texting me. Guess not. Like the other classes, I ignored the text and just kept working. No one around me said anything and only a couple people looked up and made sure it wasn't their phones going off from their backpacks on the ground.

"Whose phone is that?" Ms. Denali asked from the front.

I almost smirked at her question. I know she knows perfectly well that it's my phone going off. Her hearing is way too good to not be able to tell. I made sure that when I looked up at her at her desk that I had a straight face. According to every other student, nothing is funny about Ms. Denali asking whose phone is going off.

"It's mine." I answered.

The smirk she gave me made me slightly nervous.

"See me after class." Ms. Denali said with a straight face, though I could see a hint a smirk still left on her face.

Great, I have to stay after class again. Two days in row, I'm starting to make a habit of this. I guess I won't be going to Kate's store after class now because I bet she'll give me a detention or have me stay after class with her again. I wonder if not showing up because of her sister will affect me being able to still get the job or not?

The rest of class passed quickly. I was dreading what Ms. Denali was going to do, probably give me an actual detention like she's supposed to do. I waited until the whole class had left before I went up to Ms. Denali's desk. I stood awkwardly in front of her desk, waiting for her to stop grading some papers. I didn't want to start this conversation; she was the one that told me to stay after, so she can talk first.

"You know it's my rule to have your phone on silent during class." Ms. Denali said while finally looking up at me as she put her pen down.

"I know." I said. No point in giving excuses, I know I broke the rules and I guess it's only right that the vampire is the one that catches me.

"So then you know I have to give you a detention right?" Ms. Denali asked, a smirk growing on her face.

I don't know why she is dragging this out. Does she enjoy torturing her students, or is it just me?

"Yes." I sighed trying to give her the impression that I want this over with.

"Since I happen to know you have an interview with my sister today, I'll be nice. I'll give you an option. Does that sound fair?" Ms. Denali asked.

"Depends on the options." I answered with annoyance showing in my voice.

If she gives me options that I don't like and aren't favorable to me at all, then I wouldn't say it's fair.

"You have two options: you can either go to the detention hall and have a slip sent home with you to have a parent sign; or you can stay with me tomorrow after school." Ms. Denali said.

I don't want Charlie thinking I'm getting in trouble at school because then he'll get really strict like he did right before we left Forks. I also don't want Charlie to worry about and think that this is normal and that I'm just now getting caught; because I bet he would jump to worse-case scenario.

"I'll stay with you tomorrow." I answered.

Just after I answered and I was able to hear me say the words out loud, I could hear how suggestive they could sound.

"Perfect, you should get going; you don't want to be late for your next class." Ms. Denali said.

I didn't say anything as I left, although I should have thanked her. This will be the second time in two days that Ms. Denali has avoided giving me an actual detention when I should have gotten one. Even though it's really nice of her to keep me out trouble and still follow the rules to an extent, it's still really annoying to have to spend time with my teacher.

The rest of the day passed quickly. I was actually really looking forward for the interview. I bet, from what I've seen of Kate so far, that this interview is not going to be normal at all.

In what seemed like no time at all, I was parking in front of Kate's shop. It looked like just a small little mom and pop shop. It was surrounded by several other small looking stores, nothing about any of the stores really stood out. Because this is just a bookstore, I didn't really dress up. I nervously got out of my truck and made my way inside of the store.

I found Kate behind the counter of the only register with her feet on the counter and reading a book. She looked as if she was so into her book that someone could have come in and stolen whatever they wanted and she wouldn't have seen it. With her being a vampire I know that's not possible, but she certainly seemed that way.

"Kate Denali?" I asked then continued speaking when she looked up. "I'm Bella Swan, I'm here for the um, interview?" I more asked than stated since I'm still really confused as to why I have to have an interview for a guaranteed job.

"Perfect. I'll be in the back office, just wait about sixty seconds because I want to get ready first." Kate said with a huge grin then darted to the back almost too fast for me to see. I guess she knows I know what she is also. I don't see why she wouldn't if Ms. Denali knows then surely her family would.

About sixty seconds later I walked to the back and knocked on the door that I'm guessing lead to the office. There were only two other doors there, one had a bathroom sign on it and the other had 'employees only' on it. I knew I guessed right when I heard Kate tell me to enter from the other side of the door.

When I walked in, I immediately paused. She had changed cloths. Previously she was wearing just a nice set of jeans, shirt and jacket. Now she's wearing a full out formal business suit. I feel really underdressed now.

"Have a seat Bella." Kate said in a serious tone that I never thought she could do.

I sat on the other side of the desk and waited for Kate to begin. This is my first interview to; my last job was handed to me thanks to Mike. I have at least heard about them and some teachers have even talked about them to prepare us for our future and what not, but I've never had one. I guess Kate wants the full experience of an interview.

She grabbed a folder from her desk drawer and placed it on her desk. She gave me a quick glance then opened the folder and started going through its contents. She placed a paper that was originally in the middle on the top then neatly placed the papers back on the desk.

"So I understand you want to work for me?" Kate asked in the same serious tone that really doesn't suite her at all.

"Yes I do." I'll just try to be as professional as possible; I think that's what she's going for.

"Why should I hire you?" Kate asked.

"Because I'm a good worker." I answered quickly.

"How often can you work?" Kate asked just quickly as I answered.

"After school every day and every weekend." I answered.

Is it sad that I have no social life and am more than willing to work to fill up my time? I guess Kate is doing the same thing with her bookstore, but then again she's hiring me so she's not here all the time.

"Can you organize books?" Kate asked quickly again.

"Yes." I answered.

"Can you count back change?" Kate asked.

"I can." I answered.

"Would you listen to directions I would give you if you're hired?" Kate asked.

"Yes I would." This is an easy interview.

"So if I told you to go on a date with –" Kate said but was interrupted when the door was flung open and another vampire yelled at her.

"Kate! This is exactly why I had to be here to make sure you didn't do that." A Hispanic looking vampire scolded.

I know Kate was about to say someone's name, I'm just not sure who. I could take a very _educated_ guess as to who it is. But I don't want to. Instead I'll just focus on trying to get my blush to go away.

"You're no fun Carmen, it was all harmless fun right Bella?" Kate asked, grinning like a mad woman now.

"Um, sure?" I said, though it was more of a question because I'm not sure what happened.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. My name is Carmen. I'm a coven mate of Kate and Tanya." Carmen said, introducing herself. She held her hand out for me to shake, so I did quickly so as to not be rude. "Be good Kate." Carmen warned before leaving and closing the door behind her.

"I'm just trying to speed things along Carmen." Kate said a defensive tone before turning her attention back to me. "So, what did you think of the interview?" She asked in a very happy tone.

"It was good?" I said, or asked I guess.

I can tell working with Kate is going to very interesting. She will be lots of fun to be around. I'll just have to be careful and not get too close though. I don't want to be too sad when they have to eventually leave like the Cullen's did, or when I leave them for college, which ever happens first.

Kate absolutely beamed at my answer. She must have tried to really make this seem like a real interview. From what I've heard, I don't think she did a bad job…until Carmen showed up at least.

"Good. But back to business since I'm supposed to be hiring you at what not; can you start tomorrow?" Kate asked but before I could answer, she started speaking again. "Oh, wait you can't. Tanya told me you got a detention with her for your vibrator or something." Kate said making me blush.

"No! It was my phone, I didn't have it on silent." I quickly corrected her statement making Kate giggle at me.

"Whatever you say Bella, I won't judge. I happen to know that Tanya –" Kate started but was interrupted by Carmen yelling at her.

"Don't go there Kate!" Carmen yelled through the door, not bothering to open it.

Kate only rolled her eyes, but other words ignored Carmen.

"How about Saturday?" Kate asked.

Normally Saturday would be fine, but not this Saturday. Jake is coming in tomorrow and I won't see him until I get home from school, which won't be until later than expected. So we won't be able to really do anything on Friday, so I was planning on hanging out with him on Saturday.

"Actually, my friend is coming into town for a visit; I was going to spend Saturday with him. I start Sunday though." I answered.

"With him? Did you leave a boyfriend behind in Forks?" Kate asked, her voice having almost a threatening tone to it. I don't understand her, what's with the mood swings?

"No. He's just a friend, just a good friend. He kinda sprung this visit on me, but I still want to be able to hang out with him when he gets here." I answered.

She seemed to relax just a little, but still looked annoyed with me. What could I have done though?

"Sunday works just find. Be here at eight in the morning. There's no uniform, so just wear what you would normally wear for school. Also, just a heads up, I'm not always here so you may end up on your own in the store. I also sometimes have my family open or close for me, so you may see them instead of me." Kate said, her tone now sounded back to normal, but just a little forced.

"Okay." I answered.

Kate then spent about ten minutes telling me about what I would be responsible for at the job. I was pretty going to be considered the 'token human', as Kate put it. I will be handling the register and talking to the guests so that they don't get that scared. Kate said that that's a problem she's had with the store, people's instincts are telling them to run and be afraid. She said she hopes with a human working here it won't be as empty all the time, but she doesn't care if it is or not.

She also said that even though my main job will be working the register, I will also stock the shelves and move books around whenever she sees fit. Overall the job seems really easy. From what I can already tell from the store I'll have lots of time to just sit at the counter and my homework and read. Kate had said I have free reign to any books I want, I just have to let her know so she can remember for inventory purposes. This is almost a dream job for me, it's easy, I get free books and I get paid.

I left the store without seeing Carmen again, though I guessed she was still there so I said goodbye to her in case she was. Kate didn't laugh at me when I did so, so I'm thinking I guessed right and Carmen was just out of sight.

I drove straight home and started on dinner for Charlie and I. While making dinner, I text Jake and told him about the job I got. I also told him not to text me during school hours; just because he can get away with it because he's home schooled, doesn't mean I can get away with it. I was very tempted to call him and yell at him for getting me a detention with Ms. Denali, but I just didn't want to actually talk to him at the moment.

Charlie got home right as dinner was finished, so we ate right away. During dinner I told him about the job and assured him that it wouldn't interfere with my school work because I can do my homework while at work. I also made sure to mention, as casually as possible of course, about me having to stay after school tomorrow because I had my phone on. Charlie didn't seem too upset about it, saying something about don't let it happen again or something.

Once dinner was eaten and cleaned up, Charlie went to watch T.V. in the living room and I went to my room to do my homework. I did math first and immediately put it in my backpack when it was done. By the time I was done with all my homework it was a reasonable enough time to go to bed. So that's what I did, I went to sleep while thinking about what will happen with the vampires when Jake gets here, and wondering how Jake is going to act towards them.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Friday, this is a day most students would welcome with open arms. Friday means the beginning of a weekend. A weekend that can allow a student to do things they normally can't do on the weekday because of school…unless they have awesome parents. Friday usually goes by very slowly, dragging on so that the weekend takes too long to get to.<p>

So why is it that my morning classes have miraculously seemed to have passed by without me realizing it? Why is it that I find myself walking into my math class early, with no one else in the room? Well, no one besides Ms. Denali. More importantly why do I find that I don't mind as much about being alone with her, that it kind of seems comforting that she's here with me…alone?

I dropped my backpack onto the floor next to my desk before sitting down to fish out my homework. My mood all day has not been good, and I'm pretty sure my backpack is getting very close to suing me for abuse. I can't help it though. Jake is going to pick me up from school. How you ask? Charlie told me to leave the truck at home so that Jake can use when he gets in and that Jake can pick me up from school.

What could Jake possibly need my truck for to do in town? He doesn't know anyone but me and Charlie and he can't visit either of us at work or school. I know for a fact he won't go do any errands for the house like grocery shopping or anything. So where exactly will he be going that he needs to use my truck and gas (I doubt he'll give me gas money since being a Protector of La Push doesn't pay that well, last time I checked at least).

So all day, because of this bad mood I'm in, I've been taking it out on my stuff instead of people. I think that's a rather good idea right? I don't want to alienate the only people I have to sit at lunch with so early with me being here.

"Did your backpack call you names?" Ms. Denali asked from her desk; her tone letting me know she's teasing me.

"Maybe." I answered, not really wanting to go along with her.

I just want this day to be over with. I have Jake coming today and I know I'll have to make dinner for someone with five extra stomachs. The only plus about having to work and make extra food is that I happen to know Jake will clean the kitchen to try and get on my good side. I'm okay with that, even though I know he's doing for the wrong reasons; I'm still okay with it.

"Do you want me to have a talk with it and get it to leave you alone?" Ms. Denali asked, clearly amused by this conversation.

I finally found the homework I was looking for in my backpack and grabbed it. I walked up to Ms. Denali's desk and put the homework it's designated corner. I chose not to answer because any answer I give would make it seem stupid. I'm continuing a conversation about beating up my backpack when I'm in a bad mood.

"What's wrong?" Ms. Denali asked when I put my homework down.

This is the first time I've actually looked at her, and I'm slightly stunned by what I see. Her eyes show real concern. She's actually concerned about me, it's touching; I can't not answer her when she seems so sincere.

"It's nothing bad, I'm just annoyed about what my dad did." I answered truthfully.

I walked back to my desk since I'm not really expecting her to want to talk more on the subject; but of course I was wrong. As I walked back, I heard her desk roll away from her desk and I'm assuming she's following me. I sat down at my desk and she sat sideways in the one in front of me. She turned her body so that we can face each other. The position looks really uncomfortable, but because she's a vampire, I'm sure she doesn't care.

"What did he do?" Ms. Denali asked in the same concerned tone.

"Like I said, it's nothing really I guess. It's just a friend from Forks is coming to stay with us and I had to leave my truck at home for him to use, so now he's giving me a ride home." I answered.

In retro spec, it's nothing to really stay made about all day and beat up my stuff about. It makes me mad yes, but I should have dealt with it after school.

"I'm sorry he did that. I can give you a ride home if you want." Ms. Denali offered.

I'm really tempted to take her up on the offer. But she's my teacher; teachers don't give students rides in their cars. Aren't there laws against that or something? I don't think I'd feel comfortable with letting her give me a ride home. Plus what if Jake is there and smells her and throws a fit? I don't want Jake doing something stupid.

"No, thank you though. I'll just get a ride from him." I answered.

We silent for a couple seconds; I have nothing else to say and Ms. Denali isn't leaving. She looks like she has another question to ask me, so I'll just wait for her to ask. Fortunately I didn't have to wait long.

"Are you close to him?" Ms. Denali asked, sounding a little afraid and hurt at the same time.

"Yes." I answered quickly and saw her flinch at my words. Her flinch made me quickly explain my answer. "We're best friends. I knew him when I had lived in Forks when I was born; he's like a brother to me; nothing else." I said. I know that's what she wanted to hear, because I saw her relax a little.

"You're best friends with a dog?" Ms. Denali asked in her teasing tone again.

"How did y–…the Cullen's told you?" I asked to which she nodded.

I guess it would make sense that the Cullen's told their 'cousins' about the treaty in case they ever visited Forks. I wonder exactly how much they know though. Not only about the pack, but how much do they now about me?

It seemed Ms. Denali was going to ask or say something else, but the bell rang and instead I can tell she said something besides what she was originally planning to.

"I look forward to our afternoon date." Ms. Denali said as she stood up and walked to her desk, leaving me blushing.

The class didn't take long to fill up. Ms. Denali also wasted no time in going over the homework, teaching the lesson and giving out the homework. This time I made sure my phone was on silent for this class, I don't want to give Ms. Denali another reason to keep me after class on another day.

The rest of the school day after that class went by quickly. I was able to text Jake right after class that I have to stay after class so I would text him when I was done. I also made sure to tell him, multiple times, not to text me until I text him because he was the one that got me help over this time.

Just like last time, I took my time getting to Ms. Denali's classroom. As expected the classroom was already empty and Ms. Denali was sitting at her desk with the same chair from last time. The chair was also placed just as close to Ms. Denali's chair as last time also.

"Come have a seat next to me Bella." Ms. Denali said when I entered the classroom.

Just like last time, when I sat down I made sure to pull my chair out a little farther away from Ms. Denali. This time though, it doesn't like there's as much room to pull away from her though.

"I would like to do the same thing as last time and just go over your homework; once we're done you can leave." Ms. Denali said in almost too cheerful voice.

"Okay, so if my homework is all right, then I can go?" I asked in a hopeful voice, at which Ms. Denali only smirked at me.

"If you did have all your homework right, then yes you could go. But you don't, so you're here with me. You only got five questions wrong, so why don't you work on this first one and we'll go from there." Ms. Denali said.

Once again, like last time, I worked on the problems and Ms. Denali pointed out what I did wrong and how to fix the problem. This time though, I actually noticed Ms. Denali getting closer to me. I noticed when she wrapped her arm around my chair. I noticed when she put her chair so close to mine that I can feel her leg brush against mine. I noticed that her head was so close to mine that she practically lying on my shoulder.

Even though I noticed all of this, I didn't say or do anything against it. I rather liked having her this close. I know it's not normal for a student and teacher to be this close; but I don't really have a normal teacher now do I?

However, after all that went through my head, by the time I got to the last question and had it all worked out, I had forgotten it all.

"Done." I said excitedly that I got this last problem right without Ms. Denali's help.

"Very good Bella." Ms. Denali said then gave me a hug.

At first I couldn't help but tense. Not only was I not expecting a hug, but it's also been a long time since something as cold as her has given me a hug. It momentarily brought back all the emotions, all the sadness about Edward leaving me; but only for a moment. If Ms. Denali noticed, and I'm sure she did, she didn't say anything about it.

She released me from the hug and stood to erase the white board behind us.

"You can go now." Ms. Denali said, her voice sounding a little tense and forced.

I paused for a second, confused by her tone, but it wasn't my place to question it. So I grabbed my backpack off the floor and made my way to the door. As my hand was about to reach the door handle, Ms. Denali stopped me.

"Bella?" Ms. Denali said.

I turned around to see what she wants, but immediately my breath caught in my throat. Ms. Denali was so close that our noses were almost touching. Her eyes, once a bright golden color, were now faded into a murkier color.

"Y-yes." I said, her closeness making me resort back to stuttering.

"I'm opening the store with you on Sunday; I look forward to seeing you there." Ms. Denali said, her voice getting a little huskier with each word.

"O-okay." I stuttered again.

I attempted to turn and leave, but all I was able to do was turn the handle and barely open the door a crack before I felt it. I felt a pair of cold lips connect with my cheek. My whole face erupted in not only a blush, but also tingles covered my face. The lips, Ms. Denali's lips, lingered on my cheek much longer than was considered appropriate for even a friendly greeting or parting, but I can't find myself wanting to explain.

As embarrassing as it is to admit to myself, I don't plan on telling Ms. Denali though I'm sure she knows, I felt myself get a little turned on by her simple kiss. When she pulled away, her eyes even darker now, I was very tempted to pull her back or ask her to kiss me again. But I can't think like that. As painful as it is for to say this now, Edward made it clear, I don't belong in his world, with vampires.

So without saying anything, but with a silly grin on my face, I bolted from the classroom. As soon as I was out of the building I called Jake to tell him to come pick me up.

Fifteen minutes later, Jake pulled up in front of the front office and instead of letting me in the truck, he jumped out and he quickly gathered me in a hug; which is fine, I'm happy to see him, so was more than willing to hug him. Almost as soon as he embraced me though, he got weird. He actually _sniffed_ me a couple times, until I had pushed him away.

"Why do you smell like that?" Jake asked through gritted teeth, obviously trying to control his anger.

I don't want him to explode, literally because he explodes into wolf when he's really mad, so I tried to feign ignorance to get us home. We can talk about this home where no one can see a giant wolf in the backyard, hopefully.

"What do you mean Jake? I smell like this all the time." I answered. I guess that isn't really lying. Ever since I moved to Forks and met the Cullen's, I always smelled like them. The only time I didn't was when they left me.

"You smell like a leech Bella, there's one here isn't there?" Jake asked. He started pacing in short strides in front of me, probably in an attempt to calm down.

I guess I'll have to tell him the truth; I don't want to lie to him. I believe it would be worse if he found out about Ms. Denali's family by just randomly walking into them somewhere rather than me telling him.

"My teacher is a vampire Jake." I told. I saw him get ready to yell at me, probably about how I shouldn't be in a school where a vampire teaches or something, but he talked I spoke up again. "She doesn't drink human blood, she drinks animal blood." I told him, hoping that would help calm him down a little.

I purposefully didn't mention her family, I'll tell him later. I want him to get used to the fact that there's one vampire first before he knows that there's actually five vampires.

"You shouldn't be at this school with a leech Bella; it's not safe." Jake said.

Great, he's going into this again. I got really tired of him doing this with Edward. It didn't work then, what makes him think it'll work now? Before I could say anything, a very annoyed sounding Ms. Denali spoke up.

"I don't believe you have right to tell her what do mutt." Ms. Denali said with so much venom that I almost thought it was Rosalie for a second.

"Listen leech, I'm her friend, I have every right to make sure she's safe." Jake said with not nearly as much as venom in his, though I'm sure he tried to sound scary, it just didn't work.

"Enough with the name calling, seriously guys. Listen Jake, she's just my teacher okay? I'm sure if she was any risk at all, she wouldn't be teaching around a bunch of humans." I said, trying to get Jake to calm down. From the corner of my eye, why I said Ms. Denali was just my teacher, I thought I saw a flash of pain go through her eyes. I think I may have just been seeing things though.

"I would never put Bella in a danger; however if you don't control your temper, you will be putting her in danger yourself." Ms. Denali said in a much calmer voice.

What she said actually affected Jake; he stopped pacing, took a couple deep breaths and calmed down a little. He still seemed really pissed off, but he didn't look like he was about to phase.

"Listen leech, I won't hesitate to fight you." Jake said as a warning. I wonder if we weren't on school grounds, or someplace so public, would he actually fight her?

"And I won't hesitate to defend myself. I must warn you though, I've been around much longer than any vampire you've come across, if you fight me, you won't win." Ms. Denali said. Her tone wasn't so much threatening as it was just warning him. I understood he to say if Jake picks a fight with her, she'll fight to win; permanently.

Jake must have understood the same thing, because he tensed a little when she said that. He was smart enough not push her buttons though; he didn't say anything else to her.

"Come on Bella, let's go home." Jake said, making it sound like it where we're going is his home to. I definitely won't stand for that.

"Okay Jake, let's go to _my_ home." I said to Jake, then turned my full attention to Ms. Denali whose eyes are now pitch black. "I'm sorry about him Ms. Denali." I said, earning me a grunt of disapproval from Jake.

"It's no problem Bella. I can tell he's young and can't control his temper as well as he thinks he can. If you need anything, anything at all, call the number I gave, one of us will always pick up. It's connected to our house as well. So any time of day if you need me, just call okay?" Ms. Denali said.

"Okay, thank you Ms. Denali." I said as I turned around to get into the truck.

I made sure to get into the driver's side of the truck, even though I know Jake wanted to drive. This is my truck and I'm perfectly capable of driving it, I shouldn't have had to have him come get me in the first place. So when Jake got in, unsurprisingly, he slammed the door shut.

"No need to take your anger out on my truck." I said somewhat humorously, trying to get him to calm down completely.

"Sorry Bells; I just don't like knowing that your with a leech all day long. It's dangerous." Jake said in pleading voice. He must really want me to agree with him on this.

"I know how you feel Jake, but she's not going to hurt me. If she wanted to, she would have already. She's my teacher; she could have easily given me detention, had me stay after school with just her and attacked me. But she hasn't done that; so I pretty sure I'm safe." I said as I pulled out of the parking lot.

Jake didn't say anything for the rest of the ride home and either did I. I had intentions of saying anything because I knew whatever I would say would upset Jake because I would be defending Ms. Denali and gong against what Jake wants to believe.

When we got home we both angrily got out of the truck, this time he didn't slam my poor truck's door and we both stomped into the house. Charlie wasn't home yet, and won't be for at least another hour. He was coming home early today since Jake got in today. I decide to start on dinner, something that would take a long time to do; so that I wouldn't have to be bothered by having to play good hostess and entertain Jake.

Looking through the kitchen I decided to make lasagna, I don't remember when I had bought the stuff for it, or if it was even me that got or Charlie, but it was there. I know homemade lasagna takes a bit of time to make, as well as garlic bread, so it would take up the rest of my afternoon. After dinner I can do my homework, this way the rest of my day I can hopefully be mostly Jake free.

Jake of course wanted nothing to do with my plan and decided to sit in the kitchen while I cooked. He didn't even bother to offer to help me cook. He just wanted to talk about what the tribe and pack has been up to since we last talked. I don't know how he managed it, but he managed a full hour's worth of him talking about the pack basically doing nothing. I was actually kind of impressed by it.

While he talked about nothing that interested me, I decided that tomorrow, since I will be hanging out with him all day, I can try and corner him about some stuff. For instance, how he actually convinced his pack to let him go. I thought wolves have like a pack mentality and are supposed to be in groups, that there isn't really such thing as a lone wolf? I also want to know how exactly he got permission to be here; how he got both his dad and my dad to agree. I'm still happy he's here, I like seeing a friendly face, but I'm just curious.

When Charlie finally got home, both he and Jake made good use of the living room and watched sports until dinner was ready. Once dinner was ready, both boys came back and ate with me and the table. Jake did most of the talking, with Charlie about what's going on the reservation and a little about Forks, and I just sat and listened.

As I had predicted earlier, Jake cleaned up the kitchen for me; something about he wanted to be a good guest and that it's only fair that he cleaned up. So I of course, being the good friend/hostess that I am, let him do what he wanted and allowed him to clean the mess. After dinner, while Jake cleaned, I made a quick escape to my room to do my homework. Charlie complained at first that I needed to be with Jake since he was the guest, but when I pointed out that all he would do is watch sports, Charlie excused me. Neither Charlie nor Jake would be mean enough to make me watch sports; I just don't get any of it.

The rest of the night consisted of me listening to music in my room and doing my homework. When my homework was done I again made sure that my math homework was packed and ready to be turned in on Monday in class. I left my room after that to say goodnight to the boys then went to bed.

As I fell asleep I kept thinking of things I can do with Jake tomorrow that wouldn't seem to 'romantic' in any way, shape or form. I just want us to do stuff that normal friends would do. One's thing for sure: tomorrow will be interesting.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter: even though it's a day that is supposed to be Jake and Bella hanging out, I guarantee Tanya has other plans...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that's reviewed and alerted/favorite this story.**

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><p>I woke up to pounding on my door. I was having a nice, dreamless sleep, and it was ruined by none other than Jake.<p>

"Bella, wake up!" Jake yelled as he pounded my door.

Where the heck is Charlie, shouldn't he be yelling at Jake to stop? I look at my phone on the night table to check the time and found it's only seven in the morning. Saturday's should definitely not start this early.

"Go away Jake!" I yelled back at him.

I pulled my pillow over my head in a vain effort to help block out his pounding. When I answered him, he must have taken it as a good sign that I was actually waking up and that I actually wanted to.

"Come on Bells, I have the whole day planned out." Jake said.

The tone he used sounded hopeful. Whatever he has planned better not be romantic in the least. Jake better not turn this into a date.

"Jake, it's way too early to be awake on the weekend, let me sleep in. I know for a fact you guys all like sleeping in as well; so let me." I said trying not to sound whinny, but I'm sure I did.

When I started hanging out with the pack, one of the first things I learned quickly was they all like to sleep. I know it has to do because their patrol schedule can have them awake all night; but when they don't patrol for even a couple days they love to sleep a lot. Jake in particular is very difficult to wake up before noon. So the fact that he's trying to get me up this early, is just another thing about him that's starting to annoy me.

"Come on Bella, just get up. I'm taking you to breakfast. I'll be waiting downstairs." Jake said.

I heard him, loudly; make his way to the living room. I don't think that boy can do anything quietly. I suppose I should get up. If I don't, he'll just be back up soon. Plus he said he's taking me to breakfast, so I believe that means I don't have to cook or pay for anything. That's some motivation right there.

I threw my pillow off of my head and climbed out of bed. I grabbed everything I need to get dressed and showered and made my way to the bathroom. I took a long shower to try and procrastinate from having to spend all day with Jake. It took about an hour for me to shower and get ready before I finally left the bathroom completely dressed for the day. I put my pajamas in my room and grabbed my shoes from room.

I walked into the living room to see Jake lounging on Charlie's chair watching a random sports show. I didn't think they would have those things on this early in the morning. It has to be like a re-run or something. I fell onto the couch and started putting on my shoes when Jake spoke up.

"'Bout time you got up." Jake said in a teasing tone.

"Ya, well, a little warning that I would have to be up early would have been nice." I said in mock annoyance. Now that I'm actually up, I'm not as mad or annoyed.

"Sorry, I guess I should have told you. But come on, I've got lots planned for us to do." Jake said in a really excited voice.

"No worries Jake. Have you seen Charlie by the way, he's normally up by now and with the pounding you were doing, he should have been awake." I asked.

"Charlie went someplace he heard from a co-worker to fish." Jake said.

Figures Charlie would have already found a place to fish. Again though, it would have been nice if he would have told me and not had Jake play messenger.

I only rolled my eyes as I stood from the couch after tying my shoe laces. I followed the excited Jake outside, locked the door and headed to the truck. Jake had to drive this time, only because he wouldn't tell me where we are going to eat. Honestly I'm okay with him driving because he asked this time instead of assuming it would be okay.

The car ride was filled with him talking about the pack and his car. That's all he ever seems to really talk about; I honestly don't know how he can have so much to tell me about the same stuff over and over again. He must word stuff differently and trick me into thinking it's something different.

He drove us to a small, family owned restaurant. There was hardly anyone there so we were seated right away. Everything was going great. We talked about the old days when I was still a little kid living in La Push. Jake, somehow, remembered a lot about what we used to do back in those days. I personally think he may have made some of it up; but it was still nice to hear. The stories were cute and funny.

Everything was going good until our food got there. Jake was about to put a giant spoonful of food into his mouth when he froze. He scrunched up his nose like he smelled something then all but threw his food down onto the table.

"I can't believe it; she's a stalker." Jake angrily said.

"Who's 'she' Jake?" I asked confused. I pretty sure by the weird look he's giving me that he means Ms. Denali; but I'm not sure since I don't really smell anything.

Jake looked about to answer, but instead of him talking I heard a very sweet sounding voice from behind my chair talking.

"I believe he's talking about me." Ms. Denali said.

I literally jumped out of my seat at hearing her voice. I forgot how sneaky vampires can get; even after bumping into the other day. My reaction seemed to ease the tension a little because Jake seemed to fighting to keep a scowl on his face and I can clearly Ms. Denali's giggle from behind me.

"Super vampire and their non-existent footsteps." I mumbled, causing Ms. Denali to giggle at me again.

"What are you doing here leech?" Jake asked with a lot of venom in his voice.

I guess Jake will never like vampires; no matter how nice they are. I though since the Cullen's left, like he had always wanted them to, he would have at least given this vegetarian vampire a chance. Jake will just have to deal being in a town with a coven of vampires; or he can leave.

"I came here for some breakfast." Ms. Denali said as it if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Of course, Jake being Jake, automatically thought when Ms. Denali said breakfast she meant one of the several humans here. Ms. Denali started pulling out the chair next to me when Jake spoke up, almost yelling. I have never been more thankful to be in a practically empty restaurant before.

"I knew you couldn't handle yourself. Killing you will be a pleasure." Jake said, making to stand up.

"Oh please." Ms. Denali said, while waving him off with her hand as she sat down. She pulled her chair completely next to mine as she did so. "If we were to fight, you would lose. I thought we went over this yesterday?" Ms. Denali asked, clearly amused by Jake and not in the least bit threatened.

Ms. Denali's lack of being afraid though, seemed to piss Jake off even more. He pulled his chair back towards the table so that it now didn't look like he was about to leave.

"You said you were about to have breakfast. I know what that means." Jake said with an accusatory tone.

"I can tell you're young because you don't listen very well. I said I came here for breakfast, not that I was about to have some. Meaning, I came to the restaurant to eat food; human food. Is that a crime?" Ms. Denali asked.

Ms. Denali picked up a menu and started combing over it, I guess trying to decide what she was going to eat. I thought vampires can't stand the taste of human food though? The Cullen's always told me it smelled horrible and taste even worse to them. Is Ms. Denali really going to eat something?

Jake was thinking the same thing as me. The difference though is that he decided to voice his thoughts faster than me.

"Leeches don't eat food." Jake said.

"You're right; leeched drink blood. Vampires, however, can eat food. True it's not that good, and by all means cannot stay in our bodies for long; but it is definitely possible for a vampire to eat." Ms. Denali said while keeping her eyes on the menu.

I think my teacher just invited herself to join us for breakfast. If I wasn't so happy about not being alone with Jake anymore, I would have been more curious about why Ms. Denali invited herself and what exactly her plans are.

"Leeches do–" Jake started, but I interrupted him.

"Jake, seriously; Ms. Denali hasn't called you one name this whole time. Can you at least try to be civil and not call her stupid names?" I said, allowing my annoyance to show through.

I never got the point of them always calling the other name. The Cullen's, sans Carlisle and Esme; always called the pack names and vice versa, whenever they got the chance. Calling someone a name is just stupid and childish, plus it gets very annoying.

"But Bella, she is a disgusting leech." Jake said, weakly defending his stance.

"Actually, a leech is a carnivorous aquatic or terrestrial worm. I don't think I look anything remotely to a worm. Do I Bella?" Ms. Denali asked, finally taking her eyes off the menu and onto me to give my answer.

"Not at all Ms. Denali." I answered quickly.

"Call me Tanya. We're not in class, no need to be formal." Ms. D, I mean Tanya said.

"Okay; Tanya." I said with a slight smile. I like her name, it sounds nice.

"What are you getting Bella? I might just copy what you get." Tanya asked.

"Wait!" Jake yelled, earning a curious look from a waitress. "Do you actually think you're staying here? We don't want you here blood sucker." Jake said in a lower voice as to not get any more looks from the few people here.

"I was planning on staying. Do you have a problem with that Bella?" Tanya asked.

Jake is fuming mad. I don't want Tanya to leave, I actually like her company. On the same hand though, I don't want Jake to be upset. So I said the only thing I could think of that would let Tanya know I want her to stay and hopefully get Jake to calm down a little.

"Of course you can stay Tanya. I think it'll be interesting to see you eat human food and see how much you can eat and how long you can keep it down." I said, the last part directed at Jake.

Taking the bait, Jake grew a mischievous grin.

"I bet she can't finish whatever it is she decides to order." Jake challenged.

Good, now maybe I can eat breakfast without Jake trying to find reason to attack Tanya.

"What are the stakes?" Tanya asked, growing a mischievous grin of her own.

"If you can't finish _everything_ you order, you have to leave us alone for the rest of today." Jake said.

I would have thought Jake would have said for the remaining time he's here, but I guess he realizes since she's my teacher, she can't really do that.

"Only if, when I win, after we finish eating, you have to leave me and Bella alone for the rest of the day." Tanya countered.

Wait, what? If she wins does that mean I have to hang out with her for the rest of the day; or that Jake can't be around me for the rest of the day? What exactly is Tanya doing? Should I be worried?

Jake snorted at her condition; his arrogance showing on his face. He probably thinks she'll back down after a bite or two like Emmett always would whenever he was dared by Alice to eat human food.

"Deal." Jake said.

Tanya held out her hand for Jake to take; to seal the deal I suppose. Jake looked at it skeptically then finally took her hand in his and sealed the deal with a shake of their hands.

"Now, Bella, what you recommend?" Tanya said when she had hand back.

Jake visibly cleaned his hand of what he must have thought was vampire germs or something, with his napkin. Tanya was more polite and hid her hand in her lap to 'clean' it. Maybe they were trying to get each other's scents off themselves?

For the next half hour, I kid you not; I went over the menu with Tanya to help her decide what to eat. The whole time Jake added in his own commentary about certain dishes. He was trying to get Tanya to order something he thought would get her to lose faster.

In the end, Tanya decided to order basic French toast. Jake ordered enough to feed five people and I ordered the same thing as Tanya. We all got a good laugh at the waitress when she took Jakes order; the look she gave the boy was priceless. Just wait until she sees him eat it all.

Because Jake ordered so much, it took a while for our food to come out. The wait was a bit awkward. I was perfectly happy listening to Tanya talk about what all she's seen in her life, she's seen a lot in her very long life, and Jake was happy trying to get me to only pay attention to him. At one point, Tanya told Jake that she would only stop talking because he's time with me today was running out and she didn't want to see rude about taking up all my time. Jake was pissed with Tanya about that comment, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he decided to just ignore her and completely talk to me.

Jake was talking about something about a part or something he was saving up to get for his car when I nearly jumped out of my seat. Tanya's hand found its' way onto my thigh; her thumb moving back in forth on my jeans.

"You okay Bells?" Jake asked looking concerned.

I put my hand on Tanya's to try and remove it, but instead she just grabbed onto it and put both our hands in her lap. All of this went unnoticed by Jake.

"I-I'm fine Jake. Just thought I felt a bug or something." I lied.

I tried removing my hand from Tanya's grasp, but with her strength I had no chance of doing that. So I grudgingly stopped trying to get my hand back, and let her hold it. To be honest, it felt kind of nice to have Tanya hold my hand; just unexpected.

Jake bought my excuse and continued on with his ever so exciting story of finding and getting parts for his car. I almost cheered out loud when all the food finally arrived. I honestly thought it was never going to get here. Jake stopped talking immediately and dug into his food. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was racing with us to see who could finish their food first.

Tanya released my hand once the food was placed in front of us. I started eating right away since I was hungry; but Tanya just looked at her food like it had insulted her entire family.

"It's not that much, I bet you can finish it all." I told Tanya.

I don't know why I was cheering on Tanya when she's practically a stranger, instead of Jake. I find myself really wanting Tanya to win. I don't know what the rest of the day will hold for me if she wins, but I do know if Jake wins I'm sure to be bored.

Tanya beamed at me, then picked up her knife and fork and proceeded to cut her French toast. After getting the meal ready to eat, Tanya picked up a big piece and shoved it into her mouth. Jake was watching her very intently, waiting for her to call it quits. I was also watching her, just to see her reaction.

"Delicious." Tanya said after she swallowed the first bite. Her tone was the most sarcastic I've ever heard.

Jake snorted then went back to eating his food. He had already eaten one of the meals, and now was about half way done with the next one.

"I still don't think you'll be able to finish." Jake said with a mouthful of food, just lovely.

"Chew, then talk Jake." I said as I went back to my own food.

"I have a high incentive to finish. Being…Jake…free would make any vampire finish this bet." Tanya said.

I felt myself get a little sad that her main reason for finishing this meal was to only be free of Jake and nothing to do with me at all. My face must have shown what I was feeling because half through the meal, Tanya spoke up about it.

"You okay Bella? You look a little sad." Tanya said.

"Ya, I'm fine." I lied.

Tanya leaned in close enough to me so that I can feel her breath on my ear. The feeling sent shivers up my spin; I could almost feel Tanya smirk at that. She started whispering to me as if Jake couldn't hear us.

"Jake being with us for the whole would have been a downer, so of course getting him to leave us alone is my first priority." Tanya said then leaned back into her own seat and started eating again.

I couldn't help but grow a huge grin on my face. Jake didn't say anything about what Tanya insinuated, he was too focused on eating. Tanya must have had no intentions of leaving if she did lose; she just wants to win to be able to get Jake to go away. I can't help but feel a little touched at what she's doing.

About twenty minutes later and Tanya was on her last bite. She was looking at it skeptically, like it was getting ready to attack her. Jake was looking at her anxiously, trying to see if he could will her into losing this bet. I was looking at what I hope was just a normal, non-caring look instead of the hopefulness I'm feeling.

Tanya, almost too fast for a human, ate the bite. She swallowed and slammed the fork down on the table. Everything was completely cleaned off her plate. Even her entire drink was finished, ice and all.

"I win." Tanya said with a smirk.

Jake groaned into his hands and the realization.

"Well, let's go pay Bells, then we can go." Jake said as he stood up.

Was he really going to ignore the whole bet. The one that he just, briefly, realized he lost. Was he that desperate to be alone with me?

"Jake, I'm sorry but you lost. You agreed to the terms." I said, not moving from my seat nest to Tanya.

"Are you not man enough to stick by what you agreed to; are you too lost to your animal instincts that your word means nothing?" Tanya taunted, clearly mad about Jake wanting to blow off the bet.

Jake seemed to be momentarily at a loss for words. He had to be careful about what he did next. He always says about how he always keeps his word, that he can be trusted over a vampire. So if he leaves now, he'll prove that a vampire's word is better than his own; which I know he doesn't want.

"You never said when I would have to leave Bella." Jake said in a last attempt at not leaving.

For a moment I thought he had actually won. Neither of them said exactly when the other would have to leave. So technically, I guess, Jake could stay up until the day is almost over then leave. I'm kinda sad about the fact that Jake just found a way out of this. Good thing Tanya is a lot quicker in her thinking than I am, because she already had a rebuttal for him.

"Wrong. You were never specific, I however clearly said after we finished eating. So therefore, you do have to leave. Come on Bella." Tanya said.

Without allowing me to answer, she grabbed my hand and pulled me up with her. Thankfully Jake didn't say anything, just glared daggers at Tanya as we left. Before completely leaving, Tanya placed more than enough money to pay for all of our food and left with me in tow.

"Jake can take your truck; you are riding with me my dear for the rest of our day out together." Tanya said as we left the building, with her intertwining our fingers together.

I felt a smile tugging at my lips. I don't know if I'm excited about this, or scare. But I can already guarantee myself that this will be different.

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><p><strong>AN: Next time: Tanya's day with Bella.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: I know some of you guys find Jake to be annoying and what not; but that's mostly because I don't like him. He'll get better though…in time.**

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><p>I know the Cullen's like to drive fast, and I had honestly thought it was just them. I had never driven with other vampires, so I had no idea. But looking at the speedometer in Tanya's car, I know for a fact, driving fast is a vampire thing. Naturally she has some sort of sports car, that I'm sure is really expensive, that can go faster than my truck can ever dream of doing.<p>

As soon as we had left the restaurant, Jake had seemed to come out of whatever trance he was in and came running out. He was yelling and complaining about how Tanya can't just take me away from and that she has no right to be here. The look on his face from Tanya's response was amazing.

She told him that she's not _taking_ me anywhere; that she's _going_ with me. She also said that she has more of a right to be here than he does since she's been in Denali for centuries. This was the point I also learned why Tanya kept her last name as Denali; she picked the name because of where she lived and didn't feel like changing it. Makes sense I guess.

Jake was pissed about it, but didn't say anything. He just watched as Tanya and I drove away. I would have added my own remark about Jake acting like some child that didn't get its' way; but Tanya steered me into her car faster than I could make a remark.

So now I'm sitting in her car driving to some unknown destination. We've been talking so far just about my own past. I will eventually ask her about her own, but I'm still caught up with the idea that she's my teacher, I shouldn't be in this car with her and I'm not a hundred percent sure I want back in the supernatural or at least vampiric world…yet.

"If you don't mind, I have to pull over real quick, then we can be on our way again." Tanya said as she pulled the car to a stop on the side of the road.

Before I could respond, she was already out the door. I only heard the door shut and the alarm go off before I actually turned to see if I could see where she went. I guess she couldn't keep the food in her any more. I'm still impressed she ate that much and held it in this long. I don't see why she locked me in the car though; does she think an elk or something will try to break in?

Not ten seconds later Tanya was back in the car and pulling back onto the road.

"Feel better?" I asked with a smirk.

"Much better." Tanya said sounding very much relieved.

"So where are we going?" I finally asked. I was kind of hoping she would have told me; but we too caught up in the 'get to know Bella's past' conversation and she didn't say anything.

"We're going to a larger town to watch a movie. Then we'll have lunch, do some shopping then dinner. After dinner I suppose I will take you home." Tanya answered.

I groaned out loud when she said we were going to go shopping. I hate shopping. Well not so much hate as it is really annoying chore that has to be done.

"Do we have to go shopping?" I asked with a slightly whinny voice.

"Yes, because we have to get outfits for dinner. I'm taking you to a nice restaurant with a dress code. I promise we don't have to shop for that long if you truly don't like shopping." Tanya said.

She's going to buy me stuff? Why is it that every vampire I meet either wants to buy me lots of things or wants to kill me?

"You don't have to buy me anything. I'm sure I have enough saved up." I said mentally congratulating myself for bring my debit card even though Jake had told me not to.

"I want to. Consider it a present." Tanya said, not helping her case at all.

"I don't actually like people spending money on me, or presents for that matter. So I'll just buy own outfit, thank you though." I said, still trying to get her to change her mind.

I was expecting her to either agree with me or to argue more with me. I would have even be okay if she just chose to say nothing about the topic and start talking about something else, but instead, she laughed at me! Tanya is full out laughing at me.

"What's so funny?" I said, trying not to pout, but I know I'm failing.

"You." Tanya said in between laughs.

I waited until she calmed down before I asked her my next question.

"What about me?" I asked, wondering if I should be offended or not.

"You're more worried about me buying you something than the fact that I'm taking you out on a romantic date this evening." Tanya said with a grin.

My face went bright red as she pointed that out. How could that not cross my mind to at the very least argue about? I know I've scolded myself about being with her, but I've never said anything out loud. I don't think I can even now tell her I don't want to go on a date with her.

"I find it cute that you don't like getting presents. I think that will make all the more fun for me to surprise you and make you accept the gifts. It can be viewed as a challenge and I for one my dear, love a challenge." Tanya said.

I still can't find my voice to say anything, I'm still trying to get my face to go back to its' normal color. I wonder if Tanya had this whole thing planned from the beginning. Did she know about Jake wanting to take me to breakfast and hanging out with me for the whole day?

"You should call your dad and let him know that you're going to be studying with me all day. I believe Jake may do something that might get you in trouble with him if you don't." Tanya said.

"Charlie doesn't have a cell phone." I said finally finding my voice.

I don't see why Charlie doesn't get a cell phone. Even back before I moved in with him in Forks, it would have smart for him to get a cell phone. With all the fishing trips and going over to Billy's, getting ahold of him could be difficult at times. For moments like now, it would be nice of him to have a phone.

"That's fine. Call your house and leave a message. Even if Jake erases the message, your phone will show you called and spent some time on the phone to leave a message. He's a cop; he'll put two and two together and know you did in fact leave a message." Tanya said.

I shrugged my shoulders and did what she said. I pulled out my phone and saw I had two missed calls, a voice mail and five texts…all from Jake. I ignored every single one of them. I'll deal with him when I get back. I've already told him Tanya isn't going to do anything to hurt me, so he should just relax.

I called the house, fortunately Jake didn't answer, and I left a long message. I wanted to make sure that if Jake did erase and I had to do what Tanya suggested, that there would be no way of saying I didn't stay on the line long enough to leave a message.

"The town is just about five minutes away now." Tanya said as I put my phone back in my pocket.

I decided to take her momentary lapse of asking me questions, to ask her some questions. There are several that come to mind, some could be viewed as more rude than others; but I want to ask anyways.

"How many are in your coven?" I blurted out.

I know there were four others with her when I saw them bowling, but that might not have been all her coven. The Cullen's said it was rare for vampires to stay in large groups, that two or three is what's common.

Tanya looked at me, then quirked her eyebrow at me in confusion before answering me. She's probably wondering why I literally randomly asked this question. She turned her attention back to the road as she answered.

"There's me, Kate and Carmen; both of whom you've met. There's also Irina who is mine and Kate's sister, not biologically, and Carmen's mate Eleazar. We've all been together for centuries. Kate, Irina and I were all changed by the same woman and around the same time, so we've always considered each other sisters." Tanya said.

She's calling them sisters and I know she's corrected me on this in the past, but I guess she really does see them as family and not simply coven mates. Are all vegetarian vampires that way, or are the Cullen's and Tanya and her family exceptions?

"You have a big family." I commented. "I was told vampires don't normally live in big groups." I quickly added thinking that, for humans at least; she didn't necessarily have a big family.

"Vampires normally don't. I believe my family and the Cullen's get away with it because we have connections with the leader of the Volturi. Eleazar, like Carlisle, used to be friends with them. Unlike Carlisle though, Eleazar was on the guard. He's since left that life style, a long time ago actually, but he still maintains contact with them as…friends." Tanya said.

I got the sense that the Volturi, like with the Cullen's, is a touchy subject. The fact that she even told me as much when it isn't even her story it's Eleazar's, I feel touched. Even though she hasn't known me for that long, she told me about what seems like is a painful past for them.

"Do you, or anyone in your family, have a gift?" I asked.

A change of subject I think would be good. If Eleazar worked for the Volturi then he must have had a power that they feel is good; but I wonder if anyone else in her family has a power.

"I, personally, do not. My sister, Kate, basically she can electrocute you if she touches you. Eleazar can tell if someone, human or vampire, has a gift and what it is. For the rest of us, our basic control over our thirst is a lot better than any vampire you've met. We've lived for so long that our control is even better than Carlisle's." Tanya said as we pulled into town.

Wow. Carlisle seems to have no problem with his thirst. He works in a hospital, so that has to mean he has no problems right? But if Tanya says her family's control is better than even his; then I wonder how good his control really is, or if he would just hunt a lot.

"Did you always live off of animal blood?" I asked. This also seems like a safe question. I know not all of the Cullen's lived their whole life…undead life…surviving off of animal blood. I wonder how they came about the lifestyle.

"No; but that's a story that I would rather save for a later date. Not that it's bad, it's just not something I want you to know right now." Tanya said.

So she'll tell me later. I wonder what it is about her past and drinking blood that she doesn't want me to know. It can't be that bad; I mean even if she did at one point live off of human blood, she doesn't anymore. Even if she's had a few slips, the Cullen's did to, I still love them.

Tanya parked the car at the theater parking spot and sped over to my side to open my door. As she helped me out, not that I needed the help, I looked around to make sure no one was here to see her use her inhuman speed. I doubt she would have done that if someone was here to see, but still.

"No one saw. It's kind of you to be concerned about me." Tanya said after giggling at me when I was looking around.

Once I was out of the car, Tanya didn't let go of my hand, she actually then interlaced our fingers. For a moment, briefly, I did try to get her to release my hand. But once I failed to get her to let go, I found comfort in her holding my hand. I can't really explain it, but it feels…nice.

She led me to the ticket booth and we proceeded to pick what movie we wanted to watch. In the end we decided to watch a romantic comedy. You can never go wrong with romantic comedies, practically everyone likes them. The movie we picked was luckily just about to start, so we headed right in. Tanya, even though I told her not to, bought me a snack and something to drink.

We decided to sit in the back of the theater where there were fewer people there. During the previews Tanya pulled up the arm rest from in between us and put her arm around me. She pulled me closer to her to the point that I was actually cuddled up next to her. Just like when she held my hand, I attempted to move away.

There was a mantra of 'she's my teacher', 'she's a vampire' going through my head. There was also the occasional 'she's going to hurt me like Edward' going through my head. I don't know why I would think that last though, she's just a…a…friend? Ya, a friend.

Once the previews were over, I was completely at ease with her arm around me. I let my head fully rest on her shoulder and her head was at rest on top of mine. We stayed this way for the whole movie; except for the part when Tanya left to get me something to eat for lunch. I guess the drive here was longer than I had originally thought. When the movie was over, I was very reluctant to move. Tanya let us stay until the end of the credits, which I never stay for. We only left when we saw the cleaning crew lining the bottom of the theater waiting for us to leave.

Tanya grabbed my hand, interlaced our fingers, and led me out the theater. This time I didn't try to get her to let go of my hand, I was perfectly content with her holding my hand the whole time.

As we walked to her car, I tried my best to walk as slowly as possible. I know what we're doing next and I really don't want to. I still don't want to go shopping. Walking slowly doesn't seem to agree with Tanya though.

"Isabella, I swear if you don't pick your feet up I'll just carry you the whole way to my car." Tanya said, while adding in a small growl for good measure.

"Don't call me Isabella." I growled back at her, though I didn't sound nearly as threatening as her. I did however start walking faster. It's one thing to hold hands and to cuddle in the dark theater, but to have her carry me? That I will not allow.

"Thank you." Tanya said with smugness mixed with a little of what sounded like disappointment. Did she want to carry me? I don't see why she would.

The store we went to was just a few minutes away from the theater. Just like Tanya had promised, we found out dresses and left. She did make us go get matching shoes, but other than that the whole trip lasted maybe an hour and a half. She isn't like Alice that makes me wear everything on to only buy three things. I have a feeling she wanted to, but was able to kick that particular habit while in my presence.

Surprisingly, though it really shouldn't have been, Tanya booked a fancy hotel room for us to get ready in. She swore up and down that she has no intentions of us staying, just to get ready for the night. She already had make up in her car, which added to my suspicion that she had every intention of going out with me tonight. I mean, not going out, but just hanging out eating dinner.

By the time we were done getting ready, it was time to leave for the restaurant. The restaurant wasn't far from the hotel and I can tell without going inside that this place is very high class. The valet took Tanya's keys, after she glared at him for commenting on my dress and we walked inside. Of course as we walked inside Tanya slipped her arm around my waist. I was so distracted by looking at everything, at all the decorations that I didn't even bother trying to move away from her.

We were seated right away in a very secluded part of the restaurant. I knew she did this on purpose so that it's easier to hide the fact that's she's not eating. So I felt I should call her out on this, since she was able to eat breakfast so easily.

"Don't want others to see you not eating?" I asked with a smirk. Tanya only smirked at me, and then took a long sip of her water before answering me.

"No, I will be eating with you. It would be rude of me to take you to dinner and just sit here and watch you eat. The reason for the seclusion was not meant so that we would be alone, though that is an added bonus, but also because we will have a spectacular view of the quartet that will be playing in a half hour." Tanya said.

Tanya's just full of surprises. I can't believe she's going to actually eat with me. Edward took me out all the time, but he never ate because, well, he can't hold it in. I never thought about it at the time, but Tanya is right. We could have done something else besides going to dinner so that he didn't just have to stare at me while I ate.

"Thank you." I said with as much sincerity as I could muster. "I know eating human food isn't that fun for you guys, yet this is the second time in a day that you're going to eat a full meal for me; thank you." I said.

"Anything for you Bella, remember that." Tanya said.

I was going to question her on that, but the waiter arrived. Another way I can tell this is very ritzy restaurant is because the waiter was doing anything he could to avoid looking directly at Tanya as she ordered for us both. Her natural vampire charm and good looks always make people stare, but this man was trying his best not to. It was actually somewhat comical.

I don't what it was that Tanya ordered for us, but it was delicious. The quartet that started playing just as our food was delivered added the amazingness that is this restaurant. I have to admit this is one of the best days I've had in a long time; since before the Cullen's left actually, nothing with Jake can compare to this. I will admit, not to Tanya of course, but I can totally accept this as being a date. I'm not a hundred percent sure that's how she sees this, but I would be willing to bet everything I have that she wanted this to be a date.

Dinner was filled with Tanya telling me stories about her family. They seem really close. Kate seems to be the jokester in the family and occasionally she'll get Tanya and Irina to go along with her. Carmen seems to be the motherly figure of the family, while Eleazar seems to be the big brother or sometimes dad of the family. I also learned that Tanya is the coven's leader. I couldn't help but feel slightly special that I'm here having dinner with a coven leader.

By the time dinner was over I found myself telling Tanya that I really want to meet her family. I've already met Kate and sort of met Carmen, but the other two seem just as cool. Tanya insisted that I would meet them. She said that they all go to the bookstore very often since they don't have jobs themselves they go there to waste time also.

When we left the restaurant it was raining cats and dogs. The wind was so bad that I almost felt like if Tanya didn't have her arm around my waist that I would fly away. Once she started the car, she turned the radio on to listen to the weather report. I found this a little suspicious since she didn't once turn the radio on all day.

Sure enough, three minutes after turning it one, we found the one road home was closed due to the storm. If I didn't know for a fact the only psychic either of us knows is Alice, I would have thought Tanya was one. I couldn't help but glare at her as she drove us back to the very expensive hotel so stay the night.

"You're glare is cute, but uncalled for." Tanya said while lightly laughing at me.

"I know you planned this." I said in an accusatory tone.

"I swear I didn't, I just happen to be very lucky." Tanya said. I can somehow tell she's telling the truth, but I don't want to believe. I find it that after everything that's happened today, that this wasn't planned. She had to have watched the weather channel or something earlier.

"You should call your dad and let him know that because of the storm you have to stay at a hotel. You don't have to mention me, in fact you probably shouldn't. I believe this storm is also in Denali, so your dad shouldn't give you any hassles." Tanya said while handing me my phone from center console.

She was right, again. Charlie didn't care so much that I was staying at a hotel during the storm; he just wanted to make sure I was safe and had money to cover it. He didn't even ask who I was with. I thought I heard Jake yell from the background asking who I was with, but Charlie didn't say anything, so neither did I.

We pulled up to the cover parking space and Tanya was once again quick to open my door and helped me out.

"I hope you don't mind, but at night I often find myself lying in bed to think about the day's activities. I will be doing that tonight as well." Tanya said as we made our to the room.

I gulped, somewhat on the loud side. There's only one bed.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm somewhat iffy on this chapter; it feels a little rushed to me. But I couldn't find myself able to write any other way, so I hope you all like it.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>I'm not really sure how, but I currently find myself lying in bed, next to my teacher. It's a full sized bed, so even though there's plenty of room, we're right next to each other. I can feel the cold radiating from her body seeping into mine. As I start to drift off to sleep, I find myself vaguely thinking its Edward next to me; that he finally came back. But then I smell Tanya, not Edward, she smells a lot better the Edward.<p>

I wonder if all vampires like to watch humans sleep. Edward always said it fascinated him. Whenever he got the chance he would always watch me sleep. In fact, he would watch me do a lot of things. He would watch me eat; sleep, do homework, read and I honestly thought at some point he would ask to watch me use the bathroom; which is wrong on so many levels.

I had gotten so used to him watching me all the time that I never thought to ask him about it. The other Cullen's would also sometimes watch me, only when I ate though. Except Rosalie and Jasper; Rosalie never wanted to stay in the same room as me if she could help it and Jasper never wanted to push his luck with his control. So I just automatically assumed vampires like to watch humans do most things because they no longer can; and what they can still do is no longer done the same way.

With all these thoughts going through my head with addition to how tired I am, it's no real wonder that I voiced my thoughts out loud. I wanted Tanya's opinion on it; I know she'll have one.

"Is it a vampire thing to like to watch people sleep?" I sleepily asked.

"What makes you ask that?" Tanya asked quickly, sounding a little tense.

"Edward always watched me sleep, like you are now." I said.

I heard Tanya lightly growl before she answered me.

"First off, I'm not watching you sleep; I'm simply doing the closet thing I can to sleep next to you. I'm lying with you, not watching you. I have no intention of doing this every night or even most nights. Edward watching you is very much an invasion of privacy and I swear next time I see him I will…have a conversation with him." Tanya said.

If I was any more awake than what I was, I would have made a mental note about the threatening tone Tanya's voice took at the last part of what she said. Instead I just turned on my side, perfectly content to just fall asleep. If I wasn't just about to fall asleep, I would have realized there was a cold arm snaking around my waist and pulling me into a cold, hard body. As it were, I just relaxed into what I was pulled into and fell asleep.

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><p>I woke up to the smell of something delicious. I couldn't quite place what it is through the haziness of just waking up, but it did smell really good.<p>

"Good morning." Tanya said from somewhere in the room.

I mumbled some sort of response before climbing out of bed and barely walking to the bathroom. When I came out, Tanya was looking at me with a giant grin. I, of course, chose to ignore it and just looked at what she ordered. Next to where Tanya was sitting was a nice looking pancake meal on a tray.

"You ordered me breakfast?" I asked, a little touched at her kindness.

"Of course, I wasn't sure what you liked, so I hope this is fine. I thought this was generic enough to be safe to get you. So you know; I won't be joining you this time since we are in private; if you don't mind of course." Tanya said with the last part laced with a little concern.

The way she said that makes me think that if I said I did mind and wanted her to eat with me; I almost think she actually will. If I wasn't such a nice person, I would have tested that theory, but I can't do that to Tanya. She already went through so much from eating with me twice yesterday, I can't make her eat anymore.

"Thank you Tanya, pancakes are fine." I said and sat down to eat.

As I ate, I couldn't help but feel Tanya's eyes on me. Whenever I looked at her to confirm she was looking at me, she always had a huge grin on her face. It was the grin that someone has when they have a secret that they want to tell someone. So I naturally, wanted to find out what Tanya is smirking at me like that for.

"What's so amusing? Do I have something on my face?" I asked while fighting the urge to wipe my face just in case. Tanya giggled at me before answering.

"No, you're pretty face is just fine. Although, I feel I should tell you. You talk in your sleep…a lot." Tanya said with a smirk.

I felt my face pale immediately. I have no idea what I dreamed about last night. I also know that there's no way Tanya would have that smirk if I didn't say anything embarrassing.

"W-what did I say?" I asked quietly while cursing at my stuttering.

"That, my dear, is something I will have to tell you later. If you don't remember, you have an opening shift at Kate's store and I'm opening with you. So finish eating so we can leave, I'll get us checked out now and meet you downstairs." Tanya said as she stood and left.

Knowing she could still hear me I told her: "You could have told me while I was eating." I said with a huff then proceeded to quickly eat my food.

Once I was done eating I met Tanya in the lobby. Tanya was kind enough to grab out bags that held our outfits from last night, saying she's going to keep hold of them just in case their needed in the future. That means that Tanya already has a plan to take me out again. If I had this knowledge just a couple days ago, I would have laughed at myself and said it would never happen. But now I'm actually looking forward to Tanya taking me out again.

The ride back into town was a tense one. I had called Charlie to let him know I was okay after the storm, but instead of going back to the house, I was going straight to work. Charlie offered to have Jake pick me up from the hotel to drive me (he still didn't know I was in another town with Tanya), but I quickly declined. I said that I wanted to walk to know the town I live in a little, to get a feel of where everything is. Even with that stupid excuse, he believed me.

Jake, at one point while talking to Charlie, had taken the phone from him; which I'm sure he'll get yelled at for doing after the call. He waited a few seconds before talking. I'm guessing he wanted to get out of hearing range of Charlie before talking.

"Bella, I know you're with that leech. Did she do anything to you? If she did, I swear I'll kill her for you." Jake said. I'm guessing that last part was because he thought it would make me think he'll be my hero for me.

"First off, her name is Tanya; not leech, blood sucker or any other name you can come up with. I don't know if you've noticed, but she's been nothing but civil with you. I think you should return the sentiment. Secondly, if something bad did happen, would I really be calling you right now? No I wouldn't. I really don't want to listen to what you have to say right now, I already told Charlie everything I needed to." I said.

I heard Jake say something, but I couldn't make it out since I had already pulled the phone away from my ear to hang up. Before I could actually hang up though, Tanya took the phone from my hand.

"Excuse me honey." Tanya said as she took the phone from my hand. "Listen Jake, as much as I would prefer not to say this over phone, I'm going to tell you this anyways. If you are ever rude to Bella again, it will not bode well for you. I will not hurt you because that would upset Bella and I would never do that; but there are other things that can be done besides causing pain on one's enemy." Tanya said.

I can only guess Jake must have said something about me having a poor choice of friends. He's done that plenty of times when I was with the Cullen's. I never yelled at Jake about it before because I didn't want to lose his friendship. Plus I understand why he hates the Cullen's, or really just vampires in general, so much; but I guess Tanya isn't as forgiving.

I can just barely hear Jake from my seat, so I know he's yelling at Tanya. He probably wasn't expecting to be talking with Tanya and I'm sure what she said really pissed him off.

"Again, Jacob, I do not want to have this conversation with you over the phone. You have insulted Bella and myself enough, I will not allow it to continue. I know you're young, but surely you can muster enough respect for Bella and be adult enough to have this conversation in person, with both Bella and myself. We can meet at my sister's store. You can smell out our scents to find the place. As much as I find it rude to hang up on someone, I feel I must with you or you will continue to yell at me. So until later Jacob, goodbye." Tanya said then promptly crushed the phone in her hand and tossed the pieces into the backseat.

Tanya is tightly gripping the steering wheel. I can see in her eyes that she's very pissed right now as I'm sure Jake is right now. Unlike Jake though, Tanya is doing a good job at hiding her anger. The only things that are giving away her anger are her hands on the steering wheel and her eyes. I'm not even sure if others, besides probably her family, would be able to tell how upset she is right now.

I gently placed my hand on her arm in an effort to try and calm her down a little.

"You okay?" I asked softly.

I didn't think Jake would have this big of an effect on her. I mean I know he's said some mean, even if juvenile, things to and about her. She took one hand off the steering wheel to grasp mine and held it in her lap.

"I'm fine; I just don't like it when people talk bad about you. That boy needs to learn some manners. I'm sorry about your phone, I will get you another by tomorrow, I promise." Tanya said with a small smile.

I felt myself blush at Tanya's admission. It feels nice to know that someone cares enough to defend me like that, from someone they don't even know. I know Edward would do that, but his form of defense was to take me away from everyone. Tanya's defense is to fix the problem, she invited Jake over to get his problems with her resolved and she's taking me with her. If it were Edward, he would go off and talk with Jake by himself and have someone, most likely Alice, babysit me.

At the time I thought Edward was very endearing and romantic; but now, not so much. I can't help but compare him to Tanya, even though we are by no means a couple much less going out (at least I don't think we are), Tanya is doing so much better than Edward.

Even knowing that Tanya is better than Edward, I still can't help but still remorse about what I'm doing. I'm not naïve enough to know this wasn't a date, though I do refuse to say that to Tanya, I feel guilty about going along with it. I feel guilty about not putting more of a fight to go against it. Even though Edward made it clear in the woods that I was nothing to him; I still can't help but feel that maybe he does still feel something for me.

He said that we are soul mates; that we belong together. In my head it still makes sense. What better person to be with a mind reader than someone whose mind can't be read? Somehow, I still hold feelings for Edward and I don't know what to do about it. I know I have feelings, at least I'm starting to, for Tanya.

I can still hear Edwards's words in my head though almost every time Tanya talks. I can hear Edward say I don't belong in his world; I don't belong in the vampires' world. So what is Tanya doing with me? Is this going to end up like the Cullen's? I fall in love with the family and they leave me? I don't think I could survive that happening again, but I'm not sure I want to avoid it from happening either. I don't like the repercussions that I foresee happening, but I can't find myself wanting to stop getting closer to the Denali's.

I really don't know what to do or how to feel.

Before I could contemplate anything else, I felt Tanya literally slam on the brakes and let go of my hand. Looking at our surroundings, I found that we are already at Kate's bookstore. I must have been lost in my thoughts longer than I though. In front of the bookstore is the reason why Tanya slammed on her brakes. In place of where we should have parked stands a very pissed off looking Jake that seems to be struggling not to wolf out.

I don't think this talk is going to go very well.

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><p><strong>AN: Tanya's about to give Jake a new way of thinking about vampires.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Tanya and I both got out of the car at the same time. She stood in front of the car, right in front of Jacob and I just stood off to the side. If Jake can't keep his anger in check I don't want to be caught in the middle of him phasing.<p>

"What did you do to her?" Jake growled as soon as we got out of the car.

"Why don't you ask her? I doubt you would believe anything I say anyways." Tanya answered and then looked at me to answer Jake.

Jake kept his eyes on Tanya, but he didn't say anything; waiting me to answer.

"She didn't do anything Jake. She took me to a movie and a dinner. Then we got caught in the storm and had to stay the night." I answered truthfully.

"So you went on a date with her?" Jake asked skeptically.

What we did was very much date like, but she didn't once call it a date, at least not out loud to me.

"No Jake. I do that all the time with you and never once have I called it a date." This got his attention. Tanya looked a little saddened by what I just said, but I can't find myself to care at the moment. Right now I want Jake to back off and to just be my friend.

"Then why were you out with her all night? You stayed the night with her. The Bella I knew never would have done that." Jake said.

Is he insinuating that we did something? Does he really think I would do something like that with someone I barely know? Before I got a chance to yell at him for that Tanya spoke up.

"Just because two people stay in the same room overnight does not mean they had sex. Bella and I did nothing of the sort. Bella is not that kind of woman. What kind of friend are you to even think that?" Tanya said, her voice sounding just as mad as I am.

The words seemed to have affected Jake and he had the decency to look a little sheepish. He didn't look in the least bit mad as he continued to think over what Tanya had said. I took this opportunity to try and salvage a real friendship with him.

"Jake, we've been best friends since before I can even really remember. You've always been there for me and I'd like to think that I've always been there for you when you needed me. I know you like me more than a friend should and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for being selfish enough to want to keep your friendship while knowing your feelings. But I'm not your imprint, you know this. Don't you think that when you do imprint and if we were together, that we would both be hurt?" I couldn't help but rant a little at him.

He's my friend and I love him dearly, I don't want his emotions to ruin our friendship. He's helped me too much when the Cullen's left, for me to just let him go. I don't want to, but if he doesn't understand that we aren't meant to be, I might have to.

"Think about how your imprint will feel if you two are together when you find her? She'll feel guilty about destroying what you two had. I don't see anything good happening from you two being together when you do finally find your imprint." Tanya added.

She's been around for so long that I'm sure she's seen lots of couples be destroyed when one finds their real soul mate. It's not an easy thing to watch, especially for the person who gets left behind with no one.

"Think about Leah and Sam, I don't want us to end up like them." I said to further drive what Tanya said.

Jake now looked a little remorseful. He looked hurt and I can't help but feel a little guilty that I'm the one that caused it.

"We could be happy together Bella." Jake eventually said after a few minutes of silence.

Even though he's clearly grasping at straws here, I can tell by his tone that he doesn't really mean what he said. He's too stubborn to just let it go. He knows that we would only happy until he found his imprint. Even before that though, I wouldn't be fully happy since I don't love him like that. He knows this.

"Why did you come to visit me Jake? What were you expecting to happen?" I asked a little harsher than I intended, but I have to get him to see. I know why he came here; I just wish I wasn't right.

"I'm sorry Bella, I…I just thought…" Jake said, trailing off.

"I know Jake, but can't we just be friends please?" I asked, somewhat pleadingly.

Jake stood there, in front of the store and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked like he was deep in thought. It took a couple minutes before he responded to me.

"If that's the best I can get, that ya, of course we can just be friends." Jake said; he sounded a little defeated though. He added a small smile to show he was being honest.

I couldn't help but beam at him. I no longer have to worry about Jake trying to be more than a friend with me. I think he finally understands that we just aren't meant to be a couple, only best friends. I can easily tell it hurts him to accept this, but I know he'll get over it…eventually.

I ran over to him and gave him a big hug. I'm so happy that he finally decided to do the mature thing and be a friend.

"Thank you Jake, this means a lot to me." I told him as I released him.

"Sure thing Bells, but don't think that just because my plans for coming here are ruined that I'm leaving. I still want to hang out with my best friend." Jake said.

"Of course Jake." I answered.

"That will have to wait until after her shift though Jacob, I'm afraid I asked to meet you here because Bella and I needed to be here to open the store. Kill two birds with one stone if you will." Tanya said as she made her way to the store entrance.

"Oh, right. Well, maybe I'll just come back later then to browse the books?" Jake said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Or you can just come back to hang out and not make excuses to do so. Just give me an hour or so to teach her what she needs to know to do her job." Tanya said.

I'm so happy Tanya set this up, even though it did cost me my phone. I can tell from Jake's posture and his blatantly ignoring Tanya that he still doesn't like her, but at least he isn't making threats to her and isn't demanding me to ignore her. Maybe after Jake's had some time to think and realize it was Tanya that helped us, maybe he'll get over it.

I can't help but notice an odd look in Tanya's eyes, almost like regret. I have to be imagining things though, why would she regret helping Jake and I mend our friendship?

"I'll call you when I need a ride home Jake, okay?" I said as I started to follow Tanya into the store.

"Okay, have fun Bells." Jake said as he waved goodbye to me. I could still see sadness in his eyes, but I can't be too concerned about it because this had to happen.

For the next hour or so, Tanya showed me how to operate the cash register, stock the books and to just over-all run the store. She told me that even though one of her family members would be here for most of the day, I would sometimes be left on my own to run the store. She said that they aren't worried about me stealing anything because if I did, they would know and they would easily be able to get it back. After she said that, she quickly said that she doesn't believe I would steal from them and that she does trust me to run the store with little difficulties.

She left the store around noon, the same time Jake showed up. Jake came over to bring me lunch and decided to just stay and eat with me. There had only been one person in here all morning, so when I told this to Jake he said he would keep me company for a bit.

"So really Jake, how did you get our parents to agree to let you come here?" I asked once we were done eating.

I was sitting behind the counter doing nothing and Jake was browsing a shelf of books in front of me. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he didn't hear me. He kept silently browsing the books until he ran out of books on that shelf to look at.

"I told my dad that you were the closest thing to an imprint that I'll ever get." Jake answered so quietly that I almost couldn't hear him.

I didn't say anything, having a feeling that he wasn't done talking. I figured he would say something like that to get Billy to agree to let him come here. I'm just surprised Sam let him go also.

"Once Billy agreed, which was easier than I thought it would be, he convinced Charlie for me. I'm not really sure how he convinced him, but he did. I didn't have anything else but the pack holding me to the reservation. Sam only let me because I threatened to take the role of Alpha from him. It's my birthright, so technically I can take it anytime, so I used it against him." Jake explained. "If the pack didn't have such anger issues we would all still be in school. The council is too afraid that we'll get so upset and phase right in the middle of campus, so school wasn't a problem either."

Well that explains a lot, sort of. I just don't get how he became so obsessed with wanting to be with me. I understand love makes people do crazy things, I can see that from what I did after Edward left me. I just don't see how after so many times I told Jake he doesn't have a chance, that he went this length to still try. I won't say anything though, it's done and over with. I personally don't ever want to bring this up ever again.

Jake left shortly after he told me that. He ran home and left the truck here for me to drive home. A half hour later, Tanya showed up again. She gave me a new phone to replace the one she broke.

After everything that happened yesterday and today, I find myself distancing myself from Tanya. I didn't even realize it until after I had left the store to go home. Where ever Tanya was in the store, I managed to get myself away from her. I was almost always in the complete opposite spot from her. Even when there was a customer there, I stuck to the customer's side. I don't think they appreciated it, but from what I could tell they preferred my company than the vampires.

Tanya had tried several times to engage me into a conversation with her, but I didn't give anything for her to go off of. I only gave short answers. After a while, Tanya stopped trying. For the last hour of my shift she stayed in the office. She only came back out when I announced I was leaving.

When I did get home, I finished my remaining homework and made dinner. After dinner I stayed in the living room and read a book while Jake and Charlie watched a sports game. This whole time I couldn't stop thinking about how close Tanya and I had acted. I have told myself multiple times that I don't want to get close to a vampire again and last night I stayed in a hotel room with one.

I need to just ignore Tanya and finish off this school year. Once I do that I can move someplace far away and someplace sunny so I never have to see another vampire again. It hurts to think that, but I guess it should. I was practically adopted into a family of vampires. I had actually felt like I was one of them…or at least a part of the family. Then they left me, I don't think I'll ever fully be over that.

Being around Tanya and her family isn't helping to get me over Edward and his family. I shouldn't have accepted the job at Kate's store, but there wasn't any other job available and I need a job to start saving money.

After an hour of pretending to read in the living room, I decided that I would just call it an early night and headed off to bed. As I drifted off to sleep I decided that I would do my best to ignore Ta- Ms. Denali and her family. I will try my best to do what Edward wanted, to have a normal life, nothing supernatural about it.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm not sure if I want to include Laurent in this story or not, what do you guys think?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Ignoring Ms. Denali was much easier said than done.<p>

School was fine since all I had to do was stick to my classes and leave right away. By Tuesday I had the system all figured out. I arrived at school about five minutes before school started and raced to my first class. Once class was over I would race to the next one, stopping for nothing…unless I tripped of course. During lunch I sat next to Grace and talked with the group; I went to the cafeteria with them and left with them.

During math class, I avoided as much eye contact with Ms. Denali as possible. I always did my homework and even had Jake and Charlie (not that they were much help) check it over for any possible mistakes. If I did my homework perfectly Ms. Denali would have no reason to keep me after class. When school was finally out, I raced to my truck and left school grounds.

Just because I had a way to ignore Ms. Denali didn't mean that it was flawless. Starting Tuesday I noticed that Ms. Denali seemed intent on making the whole ignoring her thing a somewhat difficult task. At school it seemed that just as I was slipping into a class, Ms. Denali was half way down the hall walking towards me. Her eyes held a type of determination that I've never seen before.

I always just avoided her. I'm sure if there weren't any other humans around, she wouldn't hesitate to use her vampire speed to get to me. It was like that all week long, I was always just barely one step, or stumble in my case, ahead of her.

Work was another matter. Throughout the week I worked mostly with her. Monday I worked with Kate. Which let's just say Kate makes Emmett and Alice seem tame when excited. I swear I bruised my lungs from gasping from trying to catch my breath so much because of all the laughter she caused.

I was actually looking forward to working on Tuesday to be entertained by Kate, but when I got there it was only Ms. Denali working. She tried several times to start a conversation with me, but I just said that I had homework to do and I couldn't talk because I had to concentrate. Naturally being a vampire that's lived several hundreds of years with a flawless memory and being a teacher, she offered to help me. I declined immediately and probably a bit rudely.

Work with her was awkward. She always had her eyes on me. Not in a creepy way of course, but more in a way of trying to figure me out. She was confused, she didn't understand how we could have had such a good time over the weekend and then now I'm ignoring her. To be honest, I can barely understand it myself.

Every time I think about I should just stop being stupid and talk to her again, since I do like talking to her, I stop myself. I hear what Edward told me in the woods, I heard him break me. Everything he said just keeps popping back into my head every time I try to talk to Tanya. I wish I wouldn't think about it, I wish I could just forget about it; but I can't.

I'm afraid. I'm absolutely terrified. Edward said he was my soul mate and I believe him. We were so close to each other. We shared everything with each other. We got to know each other so well. I got close to his family; except Rosalie who hated me and Jasper because he was too new to the diet; but they all said I was family. They looked at me, a human, and only saw what I did for Edward, that I made him happy and vice-versa.

Then they left.

They all left me and didn't even think to say goodbye to the human. I can't let that happen again. The Cullen's showed me how easy it is for them to get close to a human and then leave them. It nearly killed me if it wasn't for the pack. I can't let that happen again. I can't give my heart up that easily; it's too fragile to break again.

From Tuesday on, whenever I worked with Ms. Denali, she tried to talk to me and when she realized I still didn't want to talk, she stuck to just watching me. I worked with her the most. The only other Denali I worked with was Kate. I was told that the others sometimes work, but not as often as those two.

My routine continued on though in making sure I stayed away from Ms. Denali in not only school but also out of school. I hung out with Jake all the time; although I was going to anyways since he is only visiting. He's a good vampire detector. After work or after school when I didn't work, I went straight home. I did my homework, made dinner then afterwards Jake and I would do something. This something was usually just a walk in town, but it was still nice.

It was during one of these walks, on Wednesday, Jake told me he would only be here another week before he had to get back. He said that wolves really aren't meant to be lone creatures, so he was really missing the pack. To say I was relieved would be an understatement when he told me. Even though he calmed down a lot since we talked on Sunday; he still made snide remarks about Ms. Denali and her family. Even though I'm trying to ignore her it doesn't mean I like hearing someone bad-talk her.

Even with all the time we spend alone together, Jake never once tried to make a move on me. He treated me like a friend. It was nice. We talked about a lot of things and joked about everything else. We both had a good time. Sometimes I would catch a sad look in his eyes, but as soon as I saw it, it was gone.

This week dragged on, but soon enough it was Friday. I had a short shift at the bookstore to I think stock some books that just came in and then I was going to see a movie with Jake; not as a date but just as friends. I got to the bookstore just as my shift was starting. Since a vampire was working whenever I started and ended; I didn't have to sign in or out for pay roll, they simply remembered when I got there and left.

I was surprised that instead of Kate or Ms. Denali working it was the only male of the coven: Eleazar. I had expected to see Carmen or Irina before I saw Eleazar.

"Good afternoon Bella; it's an honor to finally meet you." Eleazar said as I walked into the store.

I paused for a second in the door at the surprise of seeing him before I actually went inside. I made my way over to the counter and put my backpack underneath it and sat down in the lone stool there.

"Hi, you're Eleazar right?" I asked since I technically haven't been introduced to him before.

"I'm sorry, where are my manors? Yes my name is Eleazar. I assume someone has spoken of me to you then?" Eleazar asked.

If his looks weren't a give-away, his slight accent made it clear he is of Spanish decent.

"Ya, Ms. Den- Tanya told me a little about you guys." I answered. I'm not in school; I should at least call her by her first name to her family members, especially since they all have the last same name.

Ms. Denali didn't tell me too much about her family, but I at least know their names.

"I see." Eleazar said.

The next hour was spent in silence, he read a book and I did my homework. There was one person who came in, but they left soon after they saw Eleazar. I almost laughed when I saw the terrified looks he gave Eleazar. He was sitting quietly on a chair he pulled out from the office and looked like a college student cramming for finals because of all the books he had laid out on the back counter. I think it's fair to say that woman won't be coming back again; or at least any time soon.

"So, is there anything for me to do today. I thought I was going to do stock, but I don't see anything to stock?" I asked as I packed up my homework. I wasn't done with it, but it is Friday, so that means I have all of Sunday to actually finish it.

"Not today." Eleazar answered, not looking up from his book.

I settled back onto my stool and started to think about what book I wanted to start reading. It was maybe five minutes later that Eleazar spoke up again.

"I hope I don't seem rude, but I have a question, actually more of a request, for you." Eleazar said.

The way he talks is so polite that it almost reminds how Edward was when we first met. Once we got to know each better he became more…twenty first century. I wonder if that will happen with Eleazar if he spends more time with humans, will he talk more like this century or is he too old and set in his ways?

"Sure, what's your question?" I asked quickly, happy to not be in silence anymore. I'm a little bored of books, weird I know, since I work in a bookstore. It's actually somewhat sad that I'm not in a mood to read right now.

"Has Tanya told you of my gift?" He asked.

"You can tell if someone else has a gift and what it is, right?" I answered with a question. I'm pretty sure that's what it is, but there's still a slight chance I could be wrong.

"Correct. I had learned of Edward not being able to read you; I was wondering if I might try and see if I can?" Eleazar asked.

The look in his eyes right now remind me a little of Carlisle. His eyes, not so much his face, seem to hold some excitement at the prospect of learning something. I'm sure he wants to know if he's able to figure out why Edward can't read my mind.

"I guess. How do you, um, use your gift?" I asked a little nervously.

You can never tell with vampires. Some have more control over their powers than others. Like Kate, when she touches you, she doesn't automatically electrocute you. She can choose not to and can even pick the degree in which she electrocutes you. I learned that the hard way. Kate seems to think it's funny to shock me when I'm not paying attention, which scares the crap out of me and Kate seems to love it.

Then there are other vampires, like Edward. He can't turn his power off. He will always read everyone's mind around him. I wonder if when he gets to be as old as Kate if he will have more control over his gift, or will he always have to read everyone's mind. Would he even want to stop reading people's minds all the time?

Some vampires' gifts are more intrusive than others as well. Like Kate has to physically touch you, where-as the gifted Cullen's do not have to touch you. They of course have to be in a certain range, but they don't have to touch you. In fact Alice doesn't even have to be in range to get a vision of you. So I wonder how Eleazar's gift works.

Eleazar gave a light chuckle before he answered my question.

"It's nothing to worry about. All I have to do is touch you, like a hand shake, and then I will know. Would you allow me to do so?" Eleazar asked, his voice sounding hopeful.

I have no reason not to. In fact, I think it would be kind of cool to know if I have a gift or not and if that's why Edward can't read me.

"Sure." I answered.

Eleazar held out his hand as an offered hand shake. He was giving me a chance to back out if I decided I didn't want him to see if I have a power or not. As kind as that is, I don't see the big deal in it. It is nice though that's he's giving me the choice and not just demanding me to pick one way or the other.

I grasped his hand and he gave a brief shake of my mine and let go. I looked at him confused. He had a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Just as I had thought." Eleazar said with a small smug grin. "You are a mental shield." He told me.

A shield? No, a mental shield. To me that sounds really boring. I was hoping for something more exciting like the ability to move objects with my mind or something. I felt my face fall a little in disappointment.

"Why do you look so sad? A shield is a powerful gift. You can protect your mind and possibly when you are a vampire, you might be able to do so much more. You might be able to create a physical manifestation of your shield to help protect you physically. That's a strong gift to wield." Eleazar said; his eyes once more alight with all the new knowledge he just received.

The way he says that actually does make the gift I have kind of cool. The fact alone that I have a gift should make me happy since some vampires don't have any gifts.

Wait.

Did he say _when_ I become a vampire? I can't become a vampire, there's no reason for me to become one. I was actually starting to think that I would have a normal human life. What does he mean _when_? That had to be a slip of the tongue; he couldn't have meant to say that. It had to be a mistake on his part.

"When I become a vampire?" I asked hesitantly.

He then seemed to catch the mistake he made. His eyes widened slightly and then quickly went back to his always calm appearance. He seemed to be thinking over something, something to tell me.

"Has Tanya told you why she started teaching at the high school?" Eleazar asked.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope this clears up a little more about Bella's thought process and reasoning as to why she's ignoring, or at least trying to ignore, Tanya.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p><em>Tanya's POV:<em>

"I don't see why she's ignoring me though." I said to my sisters as I collapsed onto our couch in the living room.

Carmen is currently out hunting and Eleazar is at the store working. So it's just me, Kate and Irina at home right now. For the past week I've been driving them all mad with my worrying over a particular brunette. Ever since we came back from what I thought was a wonderful weekend together, she's been trying (and succeeding) in ignoring me.

I've done everything I can think of to try and get her to talk to me; but nothing seems to work. At school she stays locked away in her class rooms and avoids walking in the halls when at all possible. Even in my own class she avoids looking up front where I teach. I even tried going to her desk to 'help her with the work', but she declined any and all help.

"You're sure you didn't go over-board with staying with her at the hotel? Some humans find problems sleeping with their teachers that they've only known a few days." Irina asked.

My family has been doing their best to help me with my problem. We've all gone over everything at least twice in thinking what Bella might be thinking. I know there's something she's not telling me that she has a problem with. I did something; I had to have, to have caused this kind of reaction from her. I just have to figure out what I did and fix it.

"She was fine. She was nervous, but fine. If she had given any kind of objection the whole night I would have stopped what I was planning and taken her home." I answered.

She only made some small objections out of nervousness, not legit objection. If Bella didn't want to do anything, I wouldn't have pushed her. I don't want her to be uncomfortable with me or to even feel I push her in any direction besides the one she tells me she wants.

"Was it maybe something the dog said?" Irina asked.

I told them all about the dog and what he's said to me and Bella. My whole family would be more than happy to neuter the dog because of all the disrespect he's shown. I would have let them to, if it wasn't for Bella. Bella says he's a friend, therefore he's a friend (or at least tolerable) to me; so he's safe from my family.

"I don't think so. He didn't really say anything about me in particular. Just about how he doesn't like vampires in general and how he wants _my_ Bella." I practically growled out the last part.

Even though I haven't told Bella anything about my intentions with her and we haven't truly acted on anything (or I haven't acted on anything), I can't help but feel possessive of her; it's the vampire in me. Humans are very different when it comes to courting and relationships than vampires. I've learned most of their rituals and traditions throughout my life. I intend to court Bella how humans would now and days. That means taking things slow, at her level. Just because every time I see I want to jump her, doesn't mean she feels the same.

I know that to her, for now, I'm only her vampire teacher that is friends with the Cullen's. She obviously doesn't see any potential relationship with me because of that. So now I have to give her a reason, I have to show her we really do belong together; that we are mates. No, more than mates, we're soul mates. We are meant to live forever at each other's sides.

"Do I hear a hint of jealousy?" Kate teased.

Kate was over the moon when we first found out about Bella. Not only was she thrilled about having another sister, but also about getting another way to annoy me. Kate has taken it upon herself to point out every time I show any signs of jealousy or nervousness. As my family's leader, nervousness is not something I often show. So when I do, she feels it's very important to point it out.

"Of course not, there's nothing to be jealous of. Bella made it very clear she has no interest in him." I defended myself quickly.

I will admit when he first showed up, I was a bit jealous; but only because he knows her better than I do. I could easily tell she had no interest in him. If anything I felt a little annoyed by him trying to get my girls attention. I was a little concerned about how far he would be willing to go; especially with him staying at Bella's house.

I was almost tempted to keep watch over the house to make sure the dog kept his hands to himself. But I trust Bella, so if she believes he wouldn't do anything to cross the line, then I would have to trust him to. Luckily her trust wasn't misplaced and he backed off after the talk on Sunday.

"Why don't you just talk to her at the store or even just simply outside of school? Ask her why she's avoiding you." Irina said.

"I've tried talking to her at the store, but she will only give the simplest of answers. She never says anything that could lead to actual conversation; so I stop trying. Outside of the store and school, she's always with the dog. Whenever I get close, he steers them away from me. I know he's doing it on purpose, I also think he's doing that for both himself and because Bella asked." I said.

I felt my dead heart ache painfully at the thought. Bella, my soul mate, is purposefully ignoring me and she's recruiting the dogs help to do so. It hurts just thinking that she doesn't want anything to do with me, almost unbearable. If wasn't for the fact that I have lived long enough to know that soul mates will always find a way to be together, I would have thought I would never get her affections. It's only a matter of time before I worm my way inside her heart. I know that with time, I will.

"Why not keep her after class like you did the first couple days?" Kate asked.

"I need a reason to. If I do and she decides to question it and take the matter up with the principal I could get in trouble I don't want any more unnecessary attention to us. I also don't want to risk losing my position at the school and cutting more time away from her." I answered.

If I were to abuse my power as a teacher and make Bella stay with me when at all possible and she take it the school authorities, I could get in trouble. I doubt I would lose my job when the school is almost over, but it's a risk I don't want to take. It's not like I plan on returning next year anyways, I have no reason to because Bella won't be there anymore.

"Why not have Kate talk with her?" Irina asked.

I had thought about it, but I don't want to get closer to Bella through a third party, but at this point it might be my only option. From what Kate has said, she has gotten close to Bella; at least closer than I am at this point. As much as Kate being closer to my soul mate than me annoys me, it has already happened and not from lack of me trying for that not to let that happen.

"I can talk to her if you want Tanya." Kate offered with a smirk on her face.

Kate was known for a lot of things but being tactful was not one of those things. I fear that if Kate talks to Bella, then she might say too many things that I don't want Bella to know. Not that I'll keep any secrets from Bella, but there are some things that I would prefer to hold off on telling her until later when we are a couple.

As if reading my thoughts, like our dear 'cousin' can, she quickly defended herself.

"I wouldn't do anything to risk you possibly not getting the girl Tanya, I swear. I would just try to figure out she's ignoring you. You know, get to know her better. I'll try to get the answer in a round-about way, I promise." Kate said.

"Fine, but I swear if you better not tell her anything I don't want her to know." I warned.

Before Bella moved here, I made sure everyone knew what I didn't want to reveal to her right away. Most of it was my…promiscuous past. I'm not ashamed of it, but I just hope Bella isn't. I don't want her to use something from my past to get in the way of knowing who I am today, who I am for her. Kate has a way of saying too much, she better not this time.

"I promise Tanya. I'll just be someone she can talk to. Whatever I can relay to you without betraying her trust, I will." Kate said.

Of course there would be conditions. I wouldn't want Bella to think she can't trust us, so naturally if she tells Kate not to tell me something, Kate won't. I would rather Kate keep her word and have Bella trust her than not trusting someone in my family. Though having important information withheld from me is not favorable. Hopefully Bella won't think to tell Kate to keep information hidden.

"Of course Kate." I answered.

"Have fun at the store Eleazar?" Irina asked.

Even though he was still a ways out, we could just now hear his footsteps getting closer to the house. His steps are heavier than all of ours, so it's easy to tell when it's him compared to the others of this house.

"It was interesting. Bella and I mostly talked about you Tanya." Eleazar said as he continued to run in our direction.

His statement quickly gained my interest. When Eleazar volunteered to work at the store without either Kate or myself there, I was honestly surprised. He has not had any contact with Bella thus far, so I wasn't sure if she liked him or not and vise-versa.

I want Bella to like my whole family, so naturally I had no real problems with allowing him to go work with Bella. I was only worried about what she would think of him and what he would think of her.

"Oh? What about?" I asked curious to know how that conversation went.

Eleazar waited the few seconds until he actually came into the house and into the living room with us to answer my question.

"We talked about why you became a teacher." Eleazar answered bluntly.

If it was possible, my face would have gone pale. That was something I didn't want to share with Bella just yet. I wanted to wait a little longer until I told her.

"I didn't tell her that." Eleazar quickly said once he saw my reaction, knowing what I was thinking he might have told her. "I told her simply that you wanted to get to know this generation better. The best way you saw fit to do so was to teach this generation." Eleazar said, though I think he's leaving something out, I just won't call him out on it…yet.

Okay, so what he claims to have told her isn't a complete lie. I do want to know this generation better, if only to know Bella that much better since she belongs to this time. I still feel a little upset that he lied to Bella, even though not only was it not a complete lie, but also something I would have wanted him to do.

"What did she say?" Kate asked at my silence.

"Not much, she mostly thought it was interesting that Tanya would pick being a teacher to learn about this generation." Eleazar said. "She also confided in me that she is somewhat nervous to be around you Tanya." Eleazar said.

If I thought my dead heart could ache anymore from her just ignoring her, I was wrong. I'm making her not want to be around me at all. Is she afraid of me? Did I do something that I shouldn't have to scare her?

"Did she say why?" Irina asked.

My mouth seems to not be working as I think about all that I could have said or done to scare away my soul mate. Luckily my sisters have been with me for so long that they know what questions I would ask if I could.

"No she did not." Eleazar answered.

"Then I shall have to find out. It seems that you have gotten a step closer than all of us to figuring Bella out Eleazar. I will just have to try harder so get closer to her." Kate said, sounding slightly amused.

I can already tell that since Bella confided in Eleazar, Kate's going to make it a personal challenge of hers to get to be closest to Bella out of the whole family. It's a weird goal to have, but Kate is always competitive that way. Fortunately this goal I happen to (barely) agree with. If she gets closer to Bella, while I can't, it will only work for my benefit in the long run.

"Naturally Kate, though I feel as if I'm easily already one step ahead of you." Eleazar said.

He may not seem like the type, but he is also competitive when he wants to be. Usually he only is when it benefits the family. In this case it does. I'm sure he thinks that since Bella is a future member of this family, he should naturally only want to get close to her. Seeing that and the fact that Kate loves a good challenge, he seemingly wants to try and beat Kate at her own challenge.

I'm happy to see my family trying so hard to get close to my soul mate. I'm glad that Bella seems to have little problems getting closer to them. Now I just have to get her to get closer to me.

"Challenge accepted Eleazar. I'll be back after the store is closed." Kate said as she raced out of the house.

"Please don't do anything too stupid." Irina and I yelled out before Kate was out of hearing distance.

Now to find out what Eleazar is keeping from me.

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><p><strong>AN: I wasn't originally going to do anything in Tanya's POV, but I thought you guys might want to know a little bit about what's going on in her head.**

**There's also a new poll up on my profile. I've gotten requests for a story with a rarer couple and I'm not sure if I should or if I should just stick with the more common ones, so let me know what you guys want please.**

**Sorry for the double post, I wanted to add something.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: Is anyone else having issues with getting notifications from the website? If so, does anyone know how to fix it?**

** Thanks to XRaiderV1 for letting me know the chapter isn't showing, I hope it shows now; I've been having issues with the website, sorry.**

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><p>Eleazar left me and the store about fifteen minutes ago. We had had a really good talk, brief, but still good. He told me Tanya has a really good reason for wanting to be a teacher, he said that it would bring her all the happiness she needs. He seemed to really stress that fact and also the fact that Tanya won't be teacher next year. If she loves teaching so much, why would she stop?<p>

That question is where I try to stop my own train of thought. There are several conclusions I can come up with as to why she would stop after this year, some more believable than others. With all the reasons I can think of, none are any that I would want to really think on.

One could be that she's been here, in this town, too long for comfort already. She doesn't want people to notice she doesn't age, so she's calling it quits before anyone starts to question her. I wouldn't blame her for wanting to stop teaching and leave after this year. It was what I expected from the very beggining. I knew either she would have to leave or I would leave, either way one of us had to leave first. My money was on me.

There is another reason that crossed my mind for all of two seconds. I immediately dismissed it though because it made me seem full of myself. I just thought it was a coincidence that the year I graduate and will be leaving this town, Ms. Denali decides to stop teaching. I have no basis for this thought, but when the thought came to me, it just…it just seemed right.

Those were the two main reasons that kept flying through my head since Eleazar left. I tried my best to distract myself with work; but there isn't really any work to actually do. I tried reading, but when I found I was reading the same line ten times I figured reading was a bust. So now I'm doing my best to finish my language arts homework.

I was in the middle of writing the last paragraph for my English paper when I felt something zap me on my side. The unexpected shock made me jump off my seat and nearly fall over onto the ground. If it wasn't for the chime like laughter that I've grown used to these past couple days, I would have been concerned about randomly getting shocked.

"I get you every time Bella and it never gets old." Kate said as she finally calmed down.

I picked up my book that had fallen off the counter from my near heat attack and sat back down on my stool while giving Kate what I thought was a pretty darn good death glare.

"Ya well, I could argue that." I said angrily.

I would never admit it, especially to Kate, but I kind of like her playing her games with me. Even though they almost always annoy me, it's nice to just mess around and have fun.

"I'm sure you could, but that doesn't mean I'll stop anytime soon. I have eternity to annoy you and I plan on using that to my advantage." Kate said.

Just like Eleazar, Kate also made it seem like they plan on either somehow me becoming a vampire, or them changing me. Eleazar had avoided the topic all together when we talked. I wonder if Kate will answer the questions he wouldn't? Kate has never avoided answering any of my questions before, whether they were rhetorical or not she always has an answer.

"You know that I have an expiration date right Kate?" I said somewhat jokingly.

I didn't want to flat out ask if they were planning on changing me, to me that just seems somewhat rude. The Cullen's always made being changed a last resort type thing, at least that's how Carlisle changed most of his family. I don't know what the views are of the Denali family and changing somebody. I don't want to say something that might make them mad.

"Not one that I can forsee." Kate answered as she quickly pulled out a chair from the office and sat down on it next to me.

Kate must have thought that was the end of that this particular conversation because she pulled out a book from under the counter and started reading. If I didn't know her better I would have thought she was actually reading it. I happen to know, though, that she's only using it as a prop. She reads as much as Rosalie likes to make friends with the La Push pack.

I'm guessing Kate is just waiting for the next topic of conversation to start or there's a customer about to come in that I can't see or hear. Kate usually 'reads' when a customer comes in just so she can stay out of the way and let me worry about the customer.

"You know I'm human right?" I asked and Kate nodded so I continued. "You know that eventually humans die from something right?" I asked and again Kate nodded.

"I know that, I've lived more than long enough to realize humans tend to die. I happen to know you will die also." Kate answered matter-of-factly; her eyes still on her book.

Now I'm confused. Didn't Kate say she was going to make fun of me for eternity? How can she do that if I'm dead? Unless… does she mean the fact that if I'm a vampire my heart won't beat anymore? I wish Kate would stop avoiding the topic that I know she knows I want to talk about. Although, I'm not being any more obvious than she is.

"Do you plan on me being a vampire?" I asked as quickly as I could, almost afraid to know the answer.

I could have been a lot more tactful in my asking, but I have to know. Whatever they expect of me or for me or whatever, may not go along with my plans. So I have to know what they want so that I can stop it from happening if I need to. Being a vampire isn't on my list of things to do anymore, although…the idea is still appealing.

"Of course, don't you?" Kate asked, finally looking away from her book and staring at me.

When Kate first got here, the atmosphere was light and easy going. Now the atmosphere is thick and I feel like I'm about to drown in it. The conversation is a very serious one, at least to me it is. I can feel this conversation getting a little awkward for me at least. I doubt Kate finds anything awkward.

"Why would I?" I asked, turning on my stool to face her completely.

She mimicked my moves and we now both sat facing each other, my homework and her book forgotten. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the sign in the window flip from open to close. Kate must be expecting this conversation to be important and doesn't want to be interrupted.

"I know you know that vampires revealing themselves to humans are against our laws; I'm sure at least Rosalie made that fact very clear." Kate said.

I almost snorted at that comment. Rosalie did make it clear that I was a danger to her whole family and that I wasn't welcomed, at least by her. But it was actually Edward, in the beginning, that made it clear how we aren't supposed to be friends. He made it clear that everything he was doing went against their laws; but he kept going out with me anyways.

"Amongst others." I answered vaguely.

"Well, that's neither here nor there; it doesn't really matter who told you about the laws. The fact is, is that we aren't allowed to let humans know of our existence without the intention of turning them. Our family follows the rules very strictly. We do all we can to keep away from law breakers." Kate explained.

Kate stayed silent for a moment, like she was thinking of what she was going to say next. She seemed to be having an internal battle over something. It only lasted a few seconds due to a vampires' ability to think quickly, then she started talking again.

"Our family wouldn't become friends with someone, human or vampire, without intentions of keeping them as friends." Kate said with a satisfied look on her face. I guess that made sense to her, but to me it didn't.

"So, you plan on changing me because we became friends? Can't you just do that with any human you might like enough to be friends with?" I asked not bothering to hide my confusion.

If that's the case, since they seem to be living like the Cullen's do: with the humans, wouldn't they make friends? Wouldn't they find some humans that they want to keep as friends?

"Not at all; you are an exception to what we typically do. You see, normally, we just live off in the wild, in a well secluded area that humans rarely, if ever, go to. When we heard you were coming, we moved closer to town." Kate answered.

Now I know for a fact there's something I'm missing. Again, I having an idea of what it might be, but I just can't find myself to think it much less ask Kate. Luckily I didn't even have a chance to pretend to question Kate, because she continued talking.

"Since we're talking on a serious level, I have a question for you, if you don't mind." Kate asked.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Kate normally doesn't ask before speaking her mind. She just talks and/or asks questions when she sees fit.

"Don't look so surprised, I do have manors on occasion." Kate said after she giggled at my reaction.

"You can ask me." I answered nervously.

Whatever Kate wants to ask must be serious if she felt she had to be polite before-hand.

"Why are you ignoring Tanya? From what I understand you two had a fun time over the weekend." Kate said, but then added, "Though I did hear you made sure Tanya kept her hands to herself the whole time." Kate said with a wink.

I quickly blushed at her comment and what she meant by it. My blush quickly died down when I realized what it was she had asked. I honestly didn't think her family would care if I ignored Ms. Denali or not; I mean I'm technically just her student right? I know, I've seen it, Ms. Denali is sad about me ignoring her, but I can't risk getting hurt, not again.

For the past week, Kate and I have talked a lot. We haven't really talked about my past with the Cullen's or even really the pack, but we have talked. I actually wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even know if I had gone out with the Cullen's, if I am, or was, Edwards' soul mate. I wonder how much they know.

Should I tell Kate? Maybe if I tell her, she can tell her family what my concerns are and then they can stop getting so close to me so that when they leave it won't hurt as much. Kate did say they didn't plan on becoming friends with me without the intention of keeping me. They also said they planned on having me turned, so maybe I should tell her?

Before I started talking again, to tell her why, I found a spot on the floor that instantly became the most interesting thing in this store.

"I don't want to get hurt again." I mumbled weakly to her.

I felt embarrassed to tell her this. It was an insecurity that I thought I would never have to deal with. Why would I if I'm not meant to be in a vampire's world and that was what I was most afraid of getting hurt from?

"We would never hurt you Bella." Kate said.

The words brought tears to my eyes. That's what the Cullen's said. That's what Edward said, he promised. His family, well most of his family, said things along the same lines and they all hurt me by leaving me. The memories of them all saying how much I'm part of the family, how much they love me and that I belong with them, started playing over in my head until Kate's voice brought me out of them.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked, sounding very concerned.

I felt a sad smile creep onto my face. Of course she wouldn't know why I was sad, it only seems fitting that Edward wouldn't say anything about our relationship. I wonder what he told them when he came up here when we first met.

"Ms. Denali said she first heard about me from Edward, when he came up here a while back?" I asked, finally looking back up to her.

Her face was nothing like what I expect from Kate. Her face was the perfection of concern, she looked almost like she was ready to get out of her chair and give me a hug.

"Yes, that's when we first heard about you. He said that you smelled really good, that you were his singer. I have to admit, when you first got here, I immediately agreed with him, you do smell really good." Kate said jokingly with a small smile, trying to ease the tension that's growing.

"Did he ever tell you what happened after he got back?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"No, he didn't. We didn't think to ask. All we know is that everything worked out fine, with no incidents." Kate answered.

Her eyes narrowed a little as she thought and then they briefly lit up as she came to a realization. She pulled out her phone and made a call. She spoke so fast that I couldn't understand anything she said.

"I hope you don't mind, but I felt like you were about to tell me something that I think Tanya would like to hear as well. So she's on her way. If you want, I can stay while you tell her what you were about to tell me. For some reason I have a feeling that our dear cousin may have done something stupid." Kate said with another sad smile.

I wasn't expecting that. Do I even want to tell Ms. Denali all that's happened? I guess it's only fair since her and her family do apparently want me to stick around with them.

"I guess even if I don't want to tell her, you would tell her anyways huh?" I half-heartedly joked, trying to calm myself down a little.

"Not if you didn't want me to." Kate answered seriously.

"I can tell you both, it's just, its' still hard." I said.

I may be doing a lot better than when he first left, but I've never had to actually tell someone what happened. I've never had to relive it. I barely think about it much less talk about it. I don't know how I'll act.

What better people to first tell than the ones that claim to want to keep me?

I subconsciously wrapped my hands around myself as I silently waited for Ms. Denali to show up. Kate stayed in her chair, silently observing me. It was only a few minutes before the silence was broken.

"Are you sure you want to tell me?" Ms. Denali asked as she pulled up a seat on the other side of the counter from me and Kate.

Her tone of voice let me know that even though she's giving me an out, she really wants me to talk. I weakly nodded my head. I know it'll be hard to tell them, but something just feels right about telling them, like I'm supposed to.

"It started in biology…"

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><p><strong>AN: Now we're getting really close to Tanya and Bella getting together. It's about time, right? Lol.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: As mean as it sounds, I find it funny to leave off on cliff hangers. Your guy's reactions make me laugh out loud. As much as I hate when authors do that to the stories I'm ready, I find myself doing the same thing because when I go to start the next chapter it's a bit easier to pick it back up. So, sorry for the cliff hangers, but I find it helps me to get chapters out faster than if I didn't have a cliff hanger :P.**

**Also, I just wanted to say that if there's something you guys want to see in the story, or even just you want me to go a bit faster let me know and I'll do my best to do so.**

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><p>There, I've told them everything. They know about it all. They know about how we met, how we got together and how much we love…loved each other. I told them about what happened with James in Phoenix, about how Edward saved me. Kate was surprised Edward stopped the change by sucking out the venom; she said he must have had really good control to stop since I'm his singer. Ms. Denali kept a perfect mask, I could only see anger in her eyes, but her face gave nothing away.<p>

I next told them about the birthday party. I told them what happened with Jasper. Kate said she expected something like that to happen eventually. She said since he's always feeling everyone's emotions that that includes their bloodlust. She said Jasper has amazing control to live as well as he does with feeling the bloodlust of the other vampires. Ms. Denali once again said nothing, but I made sure they both knew that I never once blamed Jasper for what happened that day.

I told them about how I felt the next couple days after my birthday party; how I didn't see any of the Cullen's but Edward. I told them how nervous that had made me feel. I finally got to the part about Edward leaving me; about how he left me. I told them how Sam found me and brought me home. That was the time that I noticed Ms. Denali didn't even pretend to be human anymore. She seemed just like a statue, if I didn't know any better I would have she had actually turned into a statue. Kate was visibly mad. She even made a few comments throughout my story. She said most of them too quickly for me to understand but I was able to catch words like Edward, dead and burn; so I'm assuming she's pissed at Edward.

Then I moved onto the last part of the story. I told them how Jake helped me; how the pack helped me. I told them how I used to be when the Cullen's first left; how I was no better than a zombie. I told them that it was Jake that helped to patch up the hole in my heart, but that he couldn't heal me completely. I told them because of that, Charlie decided to move, to let me have a fresh start.

By the end of my story, they both sat still. Kate at least was still breathing, but Ms. Denali didn't move at all. Her eyes stayed focused on me. Her eyes held a very pissed off look, but it was a look that I can tell wasn't directed at me. Kate didn't cover up her features and I could clearly tell she was mad as well.

"So um, I'm sorry about ignoring you Ms. Denali, but I just don't want what happened before to happen again." I said as I stared down at the floor.

Relaying the story wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Something about me telling Ms. Denali made me feel alright about saying it out loud; but it still hurt to do so. I can feel the tears threating to spill out of my eyes. I've cried enough over Edward, I don't want to anymore; but it's so hard not to.

"I understand now, why you did what you did to me. I can understand why you would ignore me, I do." Ms. Denali started. "Kate, can you give us some time alone to talk please." Even though it was a request, I could tell that Ms. Denali expected Kate to do so.

Kate nodded in the affirmative, gave me a quick hug then left in the blink of an eye. I couldn't help but feel slightly nervous about being left alone with Ms. Denali. I don't know why I would feel that way, but I do.

"There's a lot to tell you Bella, there's so much you don't understand. I want to explain it all to you, I really do. I don't think we'll have enough time to do so today though. If you would allow me to, I would like explain some things to you." Ms. Denali asked.

What would she have to explain to me? If anything I would have things to explain to her, I mean I'm the human that's still alive that used to go out with a vampire. Didn't Kate say that they are all really into following the rules and whatnot? I believe the law says that I shouldn't still be here; or at least here in my human glory. If anything, I should be explaining why I should be left alone and not killed for knowing their secret.

"I guess." I answered hesitantly.

Ms. Denali gave me a small smile and moved to sit in Kate's former seat. Just like when I stayed after school with her, she moved the chair so close to me that we were almost touching. In a way it was actually somewhat comforting to feel the cold seeping from her to me. I was already sitting in the corner of the area behind the counter, so I couldn't move away from her. I wouldn't have moved if I could anyways, I just won't admit that to her.

"I first want to ask you to please start calling me by my name please, I like hearing you call me Tanya instead of Ms. Denali. If you don't feel comfortable doing so, then you don't have to, but I would appreciate it if you did." Ms. Denali said with a small smile.

"Okay." I said, not really giving a definitive answer. Calling her Ms. Denali was a way to put more space in between us, at this point I'm not sure if I want to stop that yet or not.

"Thank you. Secondly, what Edward did was cowardly and irresponsible. I'm very sorry he did that to you. I would like, at a later time, to further discuss the relationship you two had if you don't mind. I also want to let you know, that if you wouldn't mind, I really would like to… teach him a lesson… in how to treat a lady; especially you." Tanya said.

I didn't say anything to that because I'm not sure what to say. I am mad at Edward for leaving me, especially in the way that he did leave. I still have feelings for him though, just because he got tired of me didn't mean I did also. I don't know if I want Tanya to do anything or not when she sees him again; I don't even know if I would care or not.

"What do you know about soul mates Bella?" Tanya asked, her face softening.

She started breathing again, and seemed to be a lot more relaxed than she was a few minutes ago. It almost seems as if this topic is something that she's wanted to talk about for the longest time and has now just gotten the chance to do so. Personally, I don't like this topic. Edward was my soul mate and he left me. That alone makes soul mates a touchy topic for me.

"Well, Edward told me that soul mates are the perfect match; that everyone has one. He said that it can take a vampire sometimes years to even decades or longer to find their soul mate, but that they eventually find them. He said that he and I were soul mates." I said the last part softly and looked down again.

As I said the last part and looked down, I saw Tanya's face look murderous, but the look only stayed in place for a second if not less. Once it actually registered in my brain that she had that look, I faced her again with a curious expression on my face.

"I can say, without a doubt, that Edward was not or well ever be your soul mate or even anything close to it." Tanya said with a touch of venom in her voice.

"But we love… loved each other, what makes you so sure?" I asked, practically demanding her to answer me. She was starting to make me mad. How can she claim that Edward isn't my soul mate? She never saw us together, how well we worked together. She doesn't know how much we love… loved each other.

"For starters, the fact that you changed 'love' to 'loved' in your question would be a clear indication. Also, if he loves or even loved you so much, why leave you? Why leave you in the woods alone where anything could have happened to you?" Tanya said with such strength in her voice that I couldn't find the will to argue with her… for now at least. "If he loved you so much, why would he say that you were just something to pass the time with? That you were just a passing phase? Soul mates are permanent, their feelings never waiver, they never weaken, they only grow stronger." Tanya said.

Everything she's saying is throwing me in for a loop. I understand what she's saying, really I do, but where does our love fit in there? I know we loved each other, wouldn't Jasper have said something if it wasn't real love? He is an empath, I'm sure he of all people would know. Alice even said she 'saw' me joining the family! She said that I was meant for Edward, that she had visions of it. So it was meant to be right?

"B-but, we were perfect for each other." I said weakly. I know I'm just grasping at straws, but in my defense, Tanya just destroyed what I thought was a good relationship.

"No you weren't. If you were perfect for each other you would still be in Forks with Edward right now. If you were his soul mate, he would have allowed you to change, if anything he would have added his venom to have his venom flow through you as well." Tanya said.

At that comment she grabbed my wrist that had my scar from James and lifted the sleeve up to reveal the scar to her. She gently rubbed her fingers over it. She kept tracing it as I fought to find words to say to her.

"Why would you bring all this up?" I asked; mad at her for bringing it up at all.

"Would do you think I would Bella? You're a smart girl, I know you know why. Why would I try to spend so much time with you, why would I be talking to you about Edward not being your soul mate?" Tanya asked, moving her hand so that it could clasp onto mine, intertwining our fingers.

I looked down at our clasped hands, thinking about all that we've done together. I had thought about it, I really had. I just don't want to believe it. I honestly could have sworn that Edward was my soul mate, I really did love him. But I guess that's the whole point, I _did_ love him. When he left, he took that with him, or at least most of it. I still have feelings for him though.

Even with the lingering feelings for Edward, I know I have feelings for Tanya. I just don't know what to do with those feelings. Not only is Tanya, well, a girl, but she's the one saying that Edward was never mine like I thought, like how I wanted. I had always pictured myself eventually marrying a guy, and living happily ever after with him. Now here Tanya is, hinting at doing the same thing with her, can I?

"Are you… are you saying that…" I stuttered, not able to even finish the thought.

"I know this might be hard for you to accept, but yes, I am saying that we are soul mates. We are perfect for each other. Isabella Marie Swan, I can say, without a doubt, that I love you and I always will. I can tell you, that no matter what, even if it can be perceived to be for your benefit and possibly even your safety, I cannot and will not leave you, ever." Tanya said with total and complete love in her voice.

Tanya let go of my hand and cupped my face with both of her hands. She forced my face to look at her. Her thumbs started to slowly move back and forth on my face, providing a comfort that I didn't think I actually needed.

"If you would let me, I want to show you want I can offer you. I want to show you how well we can be and will be together. I want you Bella. I want all of you for eternity. Bella, will you please allow me to take you on a real date?" Tanya asked.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

**A/N: Just wanted to let you guys know that eventually Victoria and the Cullen's will make an appearance… eventually. Knowing that, I also want to let you guys know that I don't like Edward either.**

**I know that some, probably most, of you guys are upset about Bella still having feelings for Edward. I want this story to be a different, but seamless, path of New Moon, shortly after Bella started hanging out with the pack. At that time, Bella still had feelings for Edward, so I kept it that way, after all she really did (for some unknown reason) love Edward and thought they were soul mates. So Tanya has to get rid of Bella's old feelings and get Bella to love her; which of course she will… in time.**

**Last thing, I didn't really have time to go over for any mistakes, just a quick spell check, but if I didn't get this out now it would have had to wait for a couple days. So sorry in advance for all the mistakes.**

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><p>A date? Did she really ask me out on a date? How can she just tell me she loves me, when I've barely known her for a week, well actually more like two weeks, then tells me we're soul mates and then asks me on a date? Does she really think that's okay with me? Did she really think I would say yes? Did she forget I told her that Edward is my soul mate? Didn't I tell her I love Edward?<p>

…

No, no I didn't tell her that. I told her I lov_ed_ Edward, as in past tense. I know I still have feelings for him, we are soul mates after all, but do I still love him? Am I still _in_ love with him? I don't know; but I need to know though. If he were to come back right now, would I want to get back together with him? I don't honestly know that.

I might though, if he did come back. I'm sure I would, I think. Would I be able to forgive him for leaving me? Would I be able to forgive for taking his family, who claimed to be my family, away from me? If I were to get back together with him, without forgiving him, would we have the normal relationship we did before he left? No, I don't think we would.

Even if he dazzled me into forgiving him, I would always carry the fear in the back of my mind. I would always be afraid of him leaving again, of how easy it was for him to up and leave me and to say all those things to me. Could I trust him to not ever do that again?

Will I ever see him again to be able to give any chance at forgiveness? He did say that I don't belong in his world; did he mean only _his_ world and not just the life of vampires in general? Did he just mean that he never wants me around him again, but he doesn't care if I hang around other vampires?

"Bella."

Would I ever even see the rest of the Cullen's again? Or did they not really mean that I was part of their family? I wonder if they only put up with me because I was dating Edward. Alice was my best friend; would she ever even wonder what happened to me? Or did she already forget all about Edwards' human pet?

"Bella."

After everything that Tanya told me, I'm starting to think that Edward never really had feelings for me. Did he ever love me like he claimed he did? I personally think, contrary to what Tanya thinks, that Edward did love me, or at least like me.

"Bella!" Jake yelled, making me jump in my seat.

"What Jake! Did you have to yell?" I said angrily.

Jake gave me a quick amused look from his spot in the drivers' seat, and then turned his attention back to the road.

"Ya, I did. You were off in your own little world for a while there Bella. To think I ask a simple question and I lose you for almost ten minutes." Jake said with a small chuckle.

He asked me a question? Oh ya, that's right. He asked me exactly what it was Tanya and I talked about that had me so annoyed. After our 'talk' on Friday, I went straight home, without giving a Tanya an answer, and practically yelled at Jake all night. Luckily Charlie was working, so he didn't have to see all the verbal abuse, not really abuse but the yelling, I was doing at Jake.

It took Jake almost half an hour to figure out that I was mad about something Tanya did. Then it took me an hour to calm Jake down and convince him that he doesn't need to go out and hunt down Tanya because she technically hasn't done anything wrong. Since last night, Jake has been bugging me to tell him what it was that Tanya did to make me so mad. So far I've been able to avoid telling him; I personally don't think it's any of his business.

"Sorry about that, I have a lot on my mind right." I said with a sigh.

"If you tell me what's up, I can help you." Jake said with a hopeful voice.

He really does want to help; I know he does. I just don't want to tell him that my female, vampire, older math teacher wants to get in my pants. How do you tell someone that? I know Tanya didn't say that exactly, or really at all, but I can see it in her eyes.

"I know you could Jake, but I want to figure this one out on my own." I said.

"I'm your best friend; it's what I'm here for; to help you." Jake persisted.

Earlier this morning he got a call from Sam and said something about a nomad passing through their territory. I think they're afraid this nomad is going to cause trouble, so between Jake and Charlie, they managed to get Jake a way home. Jake and I are on our way now to the airport.

Since the call, Jake has been very excited to get home; he wants a chance to get the vampire. He said that if he can't go off on his own to hunt the Cullen's and he can't hurt the Denali's, then he's going to try and get that nomad. Personally, I'm all for him leaving. It really couldn't have been better timing. I need some time alone to really think about everything that Tanya told me, I can't do that with Jake here.

"I know Jake; but I really need to figure this one out by myself. You would be the first person I would call though if I did need help." I said, trying to keep nice and not explode at him.

"Okay Bells, as long as you know you can come to me for anything." Jake said.

I agreed with him quickly to end this particular conversation and started a new one. I asked him how he plans on tracking the nomad when he gets there. That question opened the flood gates and the rest of the ride to the airport was filled with Jake talking about every possible aspect of the hunt for the vampire.

We got him to the airport just in time for him to catch his flight. We said a quick goodbye outside the airport, I didn't want to go in. I think I hurt a little about that, but I'm only a _friend_ dropping off a friend at the airport for a flight that's about to leave, there's no reason at all, for me to go inside.

Once I couldn't see him anymore I left to go home. In my haste to get home so that I can think over everything, I forgot to fill up on gas. You would think after having my truck for all this time already I would know that I need to practically keep the truck full at all times just to be safe.

I realized this stupid error when my truck rolled to a stop on the side of the freeway. I was so lost in my thoughts over everything, that I didn't realize what was happening until I was almost at a stop. I think this is the closest time I've ever gotten to actually hating my truck.

I fished out my new, thanks to Tanya destroying and replacing my old one, phone and dialed Charlie. After ringing five times, it went straight to voicemail. What amazing luck I have; the first time that I actually need to call Charlie and he doesn't answer. I would call Jake but his plane has definitely already left ground. Who else can I call? I don't know anyone well enough to call to get me gas.

…

Tanya. Even though, at this particular time I don't really want to, I know that if I call her asking for help, she'll come help me. Is it bad of me to think that Tanya seems more reliable than Edward? If I called Edward, it wasn't always guaranteed he would answer because he had to go hunting so often with being around me. With Tanya, I just know she'll answer. The only problem I have now is that I don't have her phone number. But I do have the store's phone number; someone's bound to be there right?

It's worth a shot, especially since it's the only choice I have at the moment. I rolled through the contacts on my phone, it was a short list, and found the number I needed. The phone was answered before the first ring was up.

"Kate's Bookstore, how can I help you?" A very bored sounding vampire asked.

I don't recognize this voice. This has to be the one sister that I haven't really met yet, Irina.

"Um, hey, this is Bella." I said and paused a little, but quickly continued. "Is Tanya there by any chance?" I asked a little nervously.

"No she isn't. Do you need her for something?" Irina asked, sounding very curious.

"Are you going to tell her yes?" I heard Kate yell from the background followed by Irina telling her to shut up. I couldn't help but giggle a little at Kate getting reprimanded.

"I actually need her help." I said, avoiding answering Kate's question since I don't actually have an answer.

"We're calling her now, what's wrong?" Irina asked, sounding very concerned.

I feel very touched that even though I haven't met her yet, Irina already seems to like me since she seems concerned about the fact that I need help. Though she doesn't really need to worry too much; it's not really that big of problem I have at the moment.

"Well, it's not really that big of a concern; but I just dropped Jake off at the airport and ran out of gas on my way home. I tried calling Charlie, my dad, but he didn't answer. Tanya was the only other person I could think of that might be able to help me." I said.

"Oh, well that isn't that bad." Irina said, sounding relieved. "She heard you from Kate's phone. She'll be there in I'm guessing around half an hour with gas for you." Irina said.

"Thank you so much; sorry to be a bother." I said quickly.

I'm really glad they were able and willing to help. I'm just really embarrassed that I need help with something that could have been avoided all together.

"You're no bother. I'm glad you called us to help. If you want, I can give you Tanya's number so you can call her directly next time instead of playing phone tag." Irina offered. "I'm actually surprised she hasn't already given you her number."

She tried to. Before I left yesterday, she wanted to give me her number, not to give her an answer to her taking me on a date, but in case I ever needed her… like now. In retrospect if a vampire ever offers you a way to contact them when you need help, take the offer.

After she gave me Tanya's number, we said our goodbyes and hung up. Kate was surprisingly quiet after Irina told her to shut up, I'm actually a little worried what she'll do next time I see her. I bet anything she'll tease me about this.

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><p>If Edward was my soul mate, why would he leave me? Tanya said that as my soul mate, she could never leave me, even if it was for my own good. He was so adamant about us being meant for each other, being soul mates, that he had even started mentioning getting married. He never really went into a full conversation about it, more like just mentioning it in random conversation. Why would he leave someone that he loved enough to plan on marrying one day?<p>

Edward also never talked to me. Well, he talked to me, but it seemed like he never really in depth with any given topic. He always seemed like he was holding information back, like he didn't want me to know everything. Tanya doesn't do that. If anything she tells me too much about anything. She never has any problem answering any of my questions. I bet if I were to ask her about what being a vampire means and how the change works, she would answer without hesitation. In fact, I think she might even be happy about talking about it.

Tanya asked me out on a date; Edward never did. Edward and I never really went on any dates; we just kind of hung out all the time. I don't think we even really asked the other to be the other's girlfriend/boyfriend, it just kind of happened. Tanya wants to actually date me.

I can feel myself smiling at that thought. I'm still really reserved about doing anything with her relationship wise, but I think I do want to take her up on that date offer. Once I came to that decision, I heard a tapping on the window. Just like when Jake got my attention earlier this morning, I got scared half to death and jumped out of my seat; almost hitting my head on the roof.

Turning to look outside, I said Tanya trying really hard not to laugh at me. I sent her a glare and opened my door to climb out. Before I could actually start to get out, Tanya stopped me.

"No need to get out, I already filled up the tank for you while you were deep in thought." Tanya said with a smile.

"Thank you, I didn't even think to fill up before I left for home. How much do I owe you?" I asked, fully willing to pay Tanya back for whatever she spent for the gas.

"How about a ride home and then we're even?" Tanya asked, sounding hopeful.

It was easy to agree to. I was about to move over to sit in the passenger seat, but when I turned to move, Tanya was already standing outside the passenger door, waiting for me to unlock it. I'm so used to having the vampire's drive for me, that I honestly wasn't expecting Tanya to let me drive. I unlocked the door for her and she was in the seat in no time.

"Thank you for the ride Bella." Tanya said as we closed our doors.

"No problem." I answered with smile in her direction, to which she responded with her own smile.

The rest of the ride home was filled with mindless chatter. We talked about anything from the times Kate really pissed her family off with her pranks to comparing Tanya's math class to other math classes I've had in the past.

I didn't think that much time had passed, but in no time I was already pulling up to my house. I found myself not really wanting to get out of Tanya's presence, I feel really relaxed with her here. But I know I have to let her go and I have to go inside, because I still want to think over things.

Maybe there's a way to guarantee when I can see her next.

"Um, Tanya?" I nervously asked as I pulled my keys out of the ignition.

"Yes Bella?" Tanya asked, turning in her seat to face me and give me her full undivided attention.

I looked at the clock on the dashboard for a couple seconds out of pure nervousness. I shouldn't be nervous though, Tanya was the one that asked, I'm just repeating the question to her. There shouldn't be anything hard about this. I already know Tanya's answer.

"Yes." I finally said, also finding the strength to look her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry Bella, I don't understand. Yes what?" Tanya said sounding really confused.

I immediately blushed. Of course Tanya wouldn't know what I meant by just 'yes'. I opened my mouth to clarify, but then I saw realization run across Tanya's face. Instead of me talking, Tanya did.

"If it's alright, I'll pick you up at six thirty. Don't eat and wear whatever you want." Tanya said with a huge grin.

"Okay." I said.

Tanya gave me a quick kiss on the corner of my mouth then left before I could respond. My hand immediately when to the spot she had just kissed and my face went a bright red.

Oh. My. God. Tanya just kissed me and I liked it!

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter: A real date between Tanya and Bella.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>The moment Tanya left I raced into my house, tripping only twice I might add, and started to get ready. Tanya left me with only a couple hours to get ready. As six-thirty got closer and closer, I felt myself get more and more nervous. I really have no idea what Tanya might do. Last time we went out she took me to dinner and a movie; but that wasn't a real date. At least I say it wasn't a real date, I'm sure Tanya would say other-wise.<p>

I decided to wear what I normally wear; Tanya did say wear whatever I want and I should go in something I feel comfortable in right? If I needed to wear anything specific for whatever she has in mind, then she should have told me. So hopefully just my regular cloths will be okay.

Charlie had been home asleep when I got home. He had made plans already to do some fishing with someone from work. So at least for now, I don't have to explain to him why I'm going on a date with my teacher that's supposedly several years older than me. I don't think Charlie would let that one fly.

Just like the other vampires I had gotten close to; it seems this one is also very punctual. Right at six-thirty the doorbell rang. I made my way to the front door as carefully as I could, I don't want Tanya to hear me trip; that would just be embarrassing. I opened the door and came face to face with someone I was not expecting.

"That's what you're wearing?" Kate asked with a disbelieving tone as she inspected my cloths.

"She said wear whatever I want." I said defending my chosen attire.

"Yes well, I'm sure Tanya would be okay with this, but lets' see what else you have to wear. This is your first official date. Don't you want to at least dress up a little?" Kate asked as she started to move around me to get into the house.

"No I don't because I don't know what we're doing. If Tanya will be okay with this, then I'm going to wear this. What are you doing here anyways?" I asked wondering why Tanya wasn't here.

"I'm here to make sure you're ready for your date. Tanya said it would be okay for me to come pick you up." Kate said as she started to make her way to my room after expertly getting past me and into the house. "So, come on, let's see what you're wardrobe looks like." Kate said.

"I'm not changing Kate, I'm wearing this." I said from spot next to the front door that I just closed.

"But Bella, don't you want to make sure Tanya can't keep her hands off you?" Kate asked, sounding almost like a child, of which I of course had to point out.

"You sound just like a little that isn't getting her way." I said, making Kate laugh a little.

"Just think of me as your younger annoying sister that happens to be a few hundred years older than you." Kate said with a wink. "If you don't want to change cloths, then I won't force you. Just don't be mad at me if Tanya doesn't grope you that much." Kate said as she left house, leaving the door open for me to follow.

Her comment immediately made my face go red. I would have yelled at her for saying that, but I'm too focused on trying to get my face to go back to its' original color. I followed Kate outside and after locking the front door, I walked to Kate's car.

"So where are we going?" I asked as I climbed into the vehicle.

"We are going to meet up with Tanya." Kate said as she started to drive the car.

"And where are we meeting up with Tanya?" I asked.

"In the woods someplace. I'll have to run with you to where she is. It's going to be really cold there because it's up in the mountains, so in the back I have a thick jacket for you to wear." Kate said.

In the mountains? I'm having a date in the mountains and Kate wanted me to dress up for that? Did she really think I would be able to walk in the forest while wearing a dress that limits my walking when I can barely walk on a flat surface?

With the speed Kate drove, we arrived at our destination in five minutes. She parked the car on what seemed to me to just be a random spot on the side of the road. I pulled the jacket from the backseat and got out of the car. Kate met me on my side and pointed towards a random part on the mountain.

"Tanya is right there waiting for us, so come on; let's get you to your woman." Kate said.

Blushing slightly, I put on the jacket and Kate carried me piggy back style up the mountain. I'm not sure if it has to do with Kate being a lot older than Edward or maybe because females tend to be more graceful than males, but I felt a lot more relaxed and not as queasy while Kate ran with me. It took a couple minutes for us to get to where Kate wanted to go.

She stopped in a small clearing with a clearly man-made path leading off someplace. I'm assuming it lead to where Tanya is. Just like Kate said it was really cold up here, so I did my best to bundle up with the jacket Kate lent me.

"Okay, so Tanya is right through there; it'll be a little warmer where she's at." Kate said.

"Thank you Kate." I said as I started to make my way down the path Kate said to take.

"Wait, don't you want to know why it'll be warmer?" Kate asked sounding a little let down.

I turned back around to face her and saw she had a little pout on her face.

"Sure Kate, why is it warmer there?" I asked, making Kate beam at me.

"Because it always gets hot when you're having se-" Kate started.

"KATE!" I heard Tanya yell from somewhere down the path, immediately cutting Kate off from what she was going to say.

Even though Tanya cut her off, I know exactly what she was going to say so naturally my face went red.

"I'm just going to um, go now." I mumbled and turned back to the path to get away from a madly grinning Kate.

"Okay, just remember we have endless energy to Tanya won't get tired so easily." Kate said.

"KATRINA!" I heard Tanya yell again from down the path.

Without turning back to see what I'm sure is a very amused Kate, I continued on down the path. If it wasn't for the moon and stars being so bright, I would have left in complete darkness. But because of the, I can just barely see the path laid out for me.

It only took a minute for me to reach the end of the path; it also took me that long for me to finally succumb to my clumsiness. It was only a matter of time before I tripped since I'm in the woods. As I feel forward I felt cold arms wrap around me and pull me into an equally cold body.

Knowing it was just Tanya; I allowed myself to relax into her embrace and looked around another clearing. Just like Kate had said it was warmer here. Along the edge of the clearing were several space heaters. It may have been warmer here, but it was still cold, so I have to leave the jacket on. I'm sure if the space heaters weren't here I wouldn't be able to stay here for that long without getting too cold.

In the small clearing there are also some small lights hanging from the trees around the edge, above the space heaters. Taking up most of the middle of the clearing is a large quilt looking thing on the ground. On top of the quilt are several baskets of what I'm sure is food.

This clearing was on a ledge that over looked a small lake surrounded by some wild life. I'm too far away to be able to tell what they are, but it still looks amazing without that knowledge.

I felt Tanya rest her chin on my shoulder and her grip around me tightened just slightly. I moved my hands to lay over hers as I continued to look at our surroundings.

"What do you think?" Tanya asked into my ear.

There isn't even a hint of nervousness in her voice. I love how Tanya can be so confident. She is the leader of her family, so I'm sure she has to have confidence to be able to be the leader. The confidence Tanya portrays is so different from the confidence Edward had. The confidence Edward had, now thinking back about it, seemed cocky and arrogant. I'm guessing his ability to read minds made him that way.

Tanya though, her confidence just makes her seem strong. It makes it seem as if she fears nothing. It's practically the complete opposite kind of confidence that Edward has.

"It's amazing." I said at barely a whisper.

I don't know why I just whispered, but with how serene everything looks, I didn't want my voice to ruin it.

"Good, that's what I was aiming for." Tanya said.

She slowly extracted herself from me and moved to face me. She gave me a small kiss on my cheek, grabbed my hand and started to lead me to the middle of the blanket on the ground. She sat down in the middle and pulled me to sit in between her legs. She put one arm around my waist and pulled me into her, her other arm reached for a basket.

"I hope you don't mind, but I wasn't sure what kind of food you liked. So, I asked Carmen to make several different kinds of food for you. I would have cooked myself, but Carmen's skill in cooking is far better than mine." Tanya said.

"You didn't have to; I would have eaten anything you brought." I said, touched by her thoughtfulness.

Edward never gave me options when we went to eat or when he had Esme cook for me. He always ordered for me and even though normally what he picked I liked, it's nice to have options.

"I didn't have to; but I wanted to. Carmen made Italian, Mexican, Indian and American. Which would you like?" Tanya asked.

For the next hour I ate a little of everything. All of it was so good that I was really tempted to try my best to eat it all. Tanya assured me that I could take all the left overs home. I also made sure to have her promise to tell Carmen how delicious her cooking is. With all the praising I was giving Carmen, Tanya's jealous side came out a little. She said that if I give Carmen this much praise for her cooking, she's going to start cooking for me instead of Carmen so that I can praise Tanya.

Tanya and I both cleaned up the food; or more like stuff it all back into the baskets and moved them to the side. Tanya pulled out a stereo that was hidden in the darkness and started playing some slow music. I was still standing on the edge of the blanket from where I had just put up a basket. She came over to me with an almost predatory look on her face. She extended her hand to me when she was only a few feet away from me.

"Can I have this dance with you?" Tanya said with a smile.

This is the first time all night that I got nervous. I wasn't nervous when Tanya kissed me (even though it was still on my cheek it still made my heart pound) and I wasn't nervous when Tanya had me sit in between her legs to eat dinner. Dancing though, as we all know, is not good for clumsy people. Edward got me to dance with him because I got to stand on his feet when I was in that cast, I don't think I could get away with doing the same thing now.

"I'm not sure Tanya; you know I'm not the most graceful of people." I said allowing my nerves to show in my voice.

Tanya's smile did not waiver at all. In fact her smile actually seemed to grow a little wider.

"Then I will have to hold you closer to me to make sure you only fall into me." Tanya promised me.

Hesitantly I raised my hand and grabbed her outstretched one. Instantly she pulled me into her. My hands went around her neck and hers around my waist. Just as she promised she pulled me in tightly against her. I laid my head down gently on her chest and I felt her rest her head on my own.

Slowly Tanya started to sway us in time with the music. I could no longer focus on the music, but instead on the feeling of Tanya's body against mine. She kept the dancing in a slow and simple sequence. It seemed like only minutes passed by before the music stopped.

"That playlist was about an hour long; it only feels as if it lasted a few minutes." Tanya said as we stopped moving but stayed in each-other's arms.

"I agree." I said against her chest.

I felt her lift her head off of my head and I felt her pull slightly back. I took this to mean she wanted to look at me. So I lifted my head away from her chest and looked into her face. With the feint glow from the lights above us, Tanya looks absolutely stunning. I felt my breath catch in my throat from looking at her beauty; it was almost like I was seeing her for the first time.

"I have one more thing to show you; then I have to get you home. I know it's the weekend and we have technically already stayed the night together, but I want to do this right with you." Tanya said with a smile.

I gave her a slightly confused look. What more can she possible have to show me? This is already the most perfect date I have ever had; I don't think she can make it any better.

"This has already been such a perfect date, what else is there?" I asked, getting a little excited.

"I'll be honest, I hadn't initially planned on it, just really kind of hoped this would happen. This isn't as common in Washington as it is here, so I doubt you have seen them before." Tanya said, not helping to clear up my confusion.

"Close your eyes." Tanya said in a whisper.

I narrowed my eyes briefly in both confusion and nervousness, but I did comply. Once my eyes were closed, I felt Tanya move us so that I was facing the opposite direction I originally was and Tanya once again had me pressed against her front.

"Now, open your eyes." Tanya whispered into my ear, causing a slight shiver to run over me.

I opened my eyes and saw exactly what I saw the first time I looked over the edge of the cliff. I saw the lake and some type of animals that were probably sleeping now next to it.

"Look up sweetie." Tanya said.

As told, I looked up and my eyes went wide and my breathing momentarily stopped. Above us were the Northern Lights. They weren't that bright, but still just barely visible. I have never had the chance to see them before and now that I'm staring at them, it just seems like this was the perfect time to see them.

"It's beautiful." I told Tanya, my eyes fixed on the lights.

"It's nothing compared to you my dear." Tanya said, making me blush slightly at the compliment.

We stayed this way for a few minutes, just staring at the lights and enjoying the other's company. I personally didn't want this to stop, being in Tanya's arms made me feel so safe and loved that I never wanted to leave. But I did have to go home eventually, so Tanya un-wrapped her arms from me and we proceeded to end the night.

Tanya insisted that she would clean this all up herself later since she doesn't have to sleep and I do. She also insisted that she would get the food delivered to my home later tonight, probably long after I had fallen asleep. I don't know how she plans on getting the food inside the house, but I'm sure if a vampire wants to get inside a house, they can find a way.

Tanya ran me to her car that was parked on the other side of the road from where Kate had parked when she dropped me off. Once inside the car and the heater on full blast, I found my way to the middle part of the seat to cuddle up to Tanya. Unlike Edward, she didn't complain about her body being too cold for me to be next to while I was still warming up, instead she put an arm around me and pulled me into her.

The drive was done in complete silence, both of us just enjoying the feel of the other next to us. Even with my mind reeling with thinking about everything we did tonight, I still found myself starting to fall asleep. I barely noticed Tanya parking the car outside my house. I also barely realized Tanya caring me out of the car. The last thing I remember was Tanya taking the house keys from my pocket. I was so comfortable being in Tanya's arms and from getting up really early this morning and staying up late last night, I found myself falling asleep as I hear Tanya open the front door.

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><p><strong>AN: So I've been asked a couple times who I picture as Tanya. I can tell you all that I don't really like the actress that plays her in the movie, but I'm not really sure who else I would picture. So I just decided to just ask you guys, who do you all picture Tanya looking like in this story or in general?**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: I love how what I had originally planned for this story is completely out the window and the story now has a mind of its' own. I've read about this happening to other authors, but I had thought I had more control over my own story lol.**

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><p>I woke up in an unexpectedly good mood. I refused to open my eyes, but I can tell that it's already light out; so I know I should probably get up now. I just feel so relaxed I don't want to move.<p>

I stretched out my body before curling back into a ball to at least try to get back to sleep before I forced myself to get up. When I moved my body over to my side, I felt a piece of paper. I know it's not from Charlie because he would leave any notes for me downstairs by the keys. The note instantly got my full attention and I made myself sit up to read the note.

_Bella:_

_You fell asleep before I even got you home; you must have been tired. I hope you don't mind, but when I put you to bed I made sure you were in your pajamas. I hear they are more comfortable to sleep in than regular cloths._

I felt an instant blush at reading Tanya changed me. At least I can feel my bra on, so I know she didn't do anything inappropriate; though I know she would never do something anyways.

_I had a wonderful time with you last night and I hope we can go on another date relatively soon._

_Even though the date was nice, my evening did not end how I would have hoped. I was hoping for a goodnight kiss from you Bella. So before your shift is over with Kate at the store, I will come to collect my kiss. I hope you don't mind._

_Eternally yours with all my love;_

_Tanya_

A goodnight kiss? What kind of kiss? A kiss on the cheek… or somewhere else? I can feel my face getting red just thinking about kissing Tanya. I have never once thought about ever kissing a girl, but now that it seems Tanya is coming to me for one, I kind of like the idea. I'm actually looking forward to when I see Tanya next. I've never been this excited for a kiss before.

Tanya said she'll come when I'm at work, so wait, I have work today? Crap.

I scramble out of my bed and start looking for my phone so I can call in and see what time I work. I honestly had no idea I worked today; I totally forgot. I eventually found my phone sitting on my computer desk, plugged in for me. I had first looked through my cloths, thinking Tanya left them there, but she was apparently nice enough to plug in my phone for me. Once I had my phone in hand I called the store.

"Kate's Bookstore, how can I help you?" Irina asked.

Irina's there? I haven't worked with her yet; I wonder why she's there. Didn't Tanya say I was working with Kate today?

"It's Bella, I wanted to know what time I come in." I asked or more like said.

"You should have been in an hour ago, you were supposed to open." Irina said in a very calm voice.

I guess Kate isn't there, because if she was, I'm sure she would say something about me being late since I'm never late.

"I'm really sorry; I'm on my way over now."

After saying goodbye, I hung up the phone and raced around my room to get ready for work. In retrospect I shouldn't have 'raced' around, because that only caused me to trip at least six times and made it so that even with 'rushing' I still left at the same time I would have if I hadn't tried to rush.

I made my way to the kitchen to grab a granola bar for breakfast when I ran into Charlie. Literally, I ran into him. I tripped on my own feet and ran into his back. Luckily he's a lot sturdier than I am or we would have fallen to the floor.

"Sorry Dad." I said as I grabbed my breakfast.

"It's no problem Bells. What's got you in a hurry though?" Charlie asked as he refilled his coffee cup for what I'm guessing will be his last cup.

"I'm late for work. I totally forgot that I opened today. So I've got to go, I'll see you when I get home. Bye Dad!" I yelled as I carefully and as quickly as I could as I left the house.

I drove as fast as the truck would let me to work and parked in one of the few parking spots the store had to offer. Once parked, I walked quickly into the store. At the counter was both Irina and Kate. Irina was reading a fashion magazine of some sort and Kate was leaning on the counter looking at me with a huge grin.

I hesitantly took the last seat behind the counter and started to open my food.

"Sorry I'm late, I over slept." I said. It wasn't a total lie. I really don't like to sleep in that late. I really don't want to tell them I forgot to come in.

"It's okay Bella, I'm sure you had really good reasons as to why you slept in." Irina said, still flipping through her magazine.

"I was just really tired from waking up early to drop Jake off at the airport and from last night." I know they know I had a date with their sister, so I'm not even going to try and cover it up; there's really no reason to anyways.

"Last night? I thought all you two did was eat and dance?" Irina asked, sounding a little more interested in the conversation.

Kate still leaned against the counter with a huge grin, saying nothing. I almost feel like I'm walking into a trap, but I don't know what it would be.

"Well ya, but I didn't get home until later. So that in combination with being up early knocked me out." I answered.

"I have a better theory as to why you over slept." Kate finally spoke up.

I gave her a suspicious look; I know she's up to something. She has to be; it wouldn't be Kate if she wasn't up to something.

"I think you and Tanya had so much sex that your poor body just couldn't handle it." Kate said bluntly.

My face went bright red at her comment. Because of the shock of her saying that, I wasn't able to immediately defend myself. Irina put down her magazine, looked at Kate and talked when I couldn't.

"It would explain why Tanya said she _had_ to change Bella into her pajamas. The poor thing was so tired after what I'm sure was a very exhilarating sex session that Bella must have passed out." Irina mused.

I didn't think it could, but my face went a little redder. Well, at least now I know why Kate didn't say anything when I called earlier. She was waiting until I got here to say something and didn't trust herself to not say anything in the mean-time.

"So Bella, tell us, how good is Tanya in bed? I'm sure she's amazing, she's only had centuries to practice." Kate said.

Both of them were now looking at me, waiting for an answer. My mouth was slightly open out of complete shock and surprise at all that they said. I know they're messing with me; but it's still embarrassing to hear.

"We didn't do anything." I said while trying not to blush anymore.

"You mean you didn't have sex?" Irina asked and I nodded. She didn't sound surprised at all.

"Told you; you should have changed outfits. If you had worn something different, I'm sure you would have gotten Tanya in your bed." Kate said with a smirk.

"I'm sure Tanya would get in her bed no matter what she's wearing." Irina said with a smirk of her own now.

"But on a serious note; tell us everything." Kate said, leaning forward over the counter while resting her chin in her clasped hands.

"Didn't Tanya already tell you?" I asked, slightly confused.

She's their sister; she had to have told them everything. I'm sure she told the whole Denali family actually. I doubt Kate would have let her go through the whole night without telling anyone anything.

"Of course she did; now it's your turn." Irina said.

"We want to hear both sides of the story." Kate said.

I smiled at them both before I told them everything. It felt like I had Alice back again with everything I was telling them. Alice was the only friend I've gotten close enough to that I could tell everything I wanted or needed to. Both Kate and Irina let them tell them everything they already knew. I even complained to Irina about Kate. Kate tried to defend herself; but Irina would nothing of it and sided with me in saying that Kate is very obnoxious and doesn't even have to try to be so.

I spent almost an hour going over everything with them. I told them what events happened and even what I was feeling when those events did happen. I was so into the conversation and telling them everything that I told them about how I kept comparing Tanya to Edward. Thankfully Tanya and Kate had told the remaining Denali's what had happened, so I didn't have to fill Irina in.

"I'm glad to hear that Edward is nothing compared to Tanya." Irina said when I was finally done telling them everything.

"You should tell her; I'm sure she would enjoy the compliment." Kate said.

"I don't think I will; I don't think she would appreciate knowing that I compared her to my ex." I said.

"I don't think she would mind; would you Tanya?" Kate asked.

In the next second, before I could even get my face to form a proper confused look, Tanya was next to me with her arm over my shoulder.

"I wouldn't; as long as I come out on top." Tanya said with a smirk.

"I can only picture Bella being on the bottom. You definitely wear the pants in your relationship Tanya." Irina said while picking up her magazine to start reading it again.

My face went bright red again. I had honestly hoped Tanya would have stopped teasing me like she did when we first met; but I guess she just didn't want Kate to at that time.

"So, what do owe the honor of your presence here?" Kate asked as she stood from the counter and moved to lean against a book shelf that wasn't too far from the counter.

"I came to see if Bella would like to join me for some lunch. Are you hungry Bella?" Tanya asked.

"Eating even more human food Tanya? I'm starting to think you actually like eating the stuff." Irina said while making a face that clearly showed her disgust for human food.

"I won't be eating human food anytime soon, I promise. Sorry Bella, you'll be the only one eating; but I would love to keep you company." Tanya said.

"Sure, I guess I could eat something." I said after glancing at the clock. It was actually around two o'clock already. I guess I slept in later than I thought and talked a lot longer than I thought as well.

"Wait a second, she's my employee, I can't just let her leave in the middle of her shift." Kate said, actually sounding serious.

"You'll let her go Kate or I'll ruin all the pranks you have lined up for her." Tanya said with a smirk.

"You wouldn't dare." Kate said, sounding very offended that Tanya would even suggest what she said.

"You know I would." Tanya said sounding very amused.

"Fine, go on Bella. Leave me and Irina to run this store on our own." Kate said in an overly dramatic tone.

"I'm not going to be staying Kate; I only came here to talk with Bella. Now that I've talked with her, I'm leaving to go hunt." Irina said then was gone from my sight.

"See what you've done Tanya. Now I'm stuck all alone in this store with nothing to do because you made all my employees leave." Kate said trying to sound mad, but failing at it since she had a huge smirk on her face.

"Ya, because Irina was your employee; I would love to see you tell that to her face." Tanya said.

Tanya then grabbed my hand and started leading me towards the exit.

"You have work next on Tuesday Bella! I should also tell you that you didn't actually have work today." Kate said as the door shut behind me.

I didn't have work? But didn't Tanya's note say that…

"Tanya?" I asked as we walked to my truck.

"I only did that because Kate and Irina both wanted to talk to you right away. It was either: get you to come in today or wake up with both of them sitting in your room." Tanya said while opening my door for me to get in. Tanya continued talking when she got in on the passenger side. "I figured having you come in to work would probably be the better choice. The note was Kate's idea and to be honest, I thought it was funny so I went along with it." Tanya admitted.

Tanya then directed me to small restaurant that I haven't been to yet and we had lunch together. Rather, I ate lunch and Tanya just talked with me. I was able to apologize for falling asleep on the ride home and she apologized for Kate's remarks today. She didn't actually know what Kate said until I told her after she apologized for Kate; but Tanya said that with knowing Kate it was basically a given that something inappropriate was said.

Once I was done eating, Tanya made sure that she paid the bill and we finally left alone in our booth to talk about whatever it is that we wanted to talk about. We ended up getting into a deep conversation about a book, my favorite book Wuthering Heights. I'm not sure how we got on the topic but we did. Throughout the conversation we kept getting closer and closer; each of us leaning over the table. It wasn't until I could feel Tanya's breath on face that I realized how close we were.

I was in mid-sentence when I came to my senses about how close we were. Instead of backing up though to sit straight up in my seat, I just froze. I continued looking at Tanya. I found myself looking down towards her lips. Once my eyes found her lips; Tanya slowly licked her lips… she knows I'm looking at her.

Slower than I thought I could, I started to lean forward. With my eyes completely focused on Tanya's lips, I'm surprised I noticed anything else around me. With just a fraction of space left between us I heard some loud people come into the restaurant. It wasn't the noise that distracted me, but rather who it was that caught my attention.

"I swear Grace, it happened just like that. I wouldn't lie about that stuff." Zach said.

I couldn't hear Grace's response because she wasn't yelling like Zach was. Zach's voice pulled me from the trance I had fallen into and I immediately sat back in my seat. I glanced to where I heard Zach's voice and saw him and Grace approaching our area. I looked back to Tanya and she looked really pissed. I can see her eyes darkening fast; she looked like she was doing all she could to keep them from going black.

I was going to talk to her, to ask her why she's so mad, really I just wanted to do anything to get her to calm down. But before I could, someone was talking to us.

"Bella, Ms. Denali? You guys here together?" Zach asked sounding surprised.

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><p><strong>AN: Oh no, student and teacher possibly caught almost kissing; that can't bode well.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>"Of course we are Zach; that's why we are sitting at the same table." Tanya said in a really annoyed voice.<p>

If I was on the receiving end of her voice, I would be scared. She's not glaring at them anymore, but anyone can clearly tell she's pissed off right now. By this time I had already snapped back to sit straight in my seat. Tanya was slowing sitting back in her own seat.

"Oh um, well, I guess we'll see you guys in class or something tomorrow?" Zach asked very awkwardly.

It's clear he's uncomfortable with Tanya's admission. To be honest, I am also. Not that I mind people knowing I'm here with her; it's just she's a teacher, can't she get in trouble for hanging out with students outside of class?

"Actually, Bella, we'll see you before school right?" Grace said; doing a very good job at acting like nothing was wrong.

Even though she isn't a gossip, I know either she or Zach will tell either Sarah or Lindsay and then by tomorrow, not later than lunch, the whole school will know. I bet anything the truth will be stretched out as well.

"Ya, sure." I responded.

They both then waved goodbye, and mumbled something I didn't really hear and Grace dragged Zach over to a booth far away from us. Tanya followed them until they sat down in their own seats.

"So um, since I don't have to work, do you want to go do something?" I asked nervously.

I'm sure how I managed to get up the courage to ask her; it's not like I was asking her out on date right? It's just I don't feel like going home right now and I really don't want to hang out with anyone from school after what just happened. I just really want to get her in a better than what she is in right now.

My question got Tanya's full attention and my goal of cheering her worked. She gave me a huge grin before answering.

"Of course I would. What would you like to do, a movie perhaps?" Tanya suggested.

No, not a movie. That's way too over-done. Plus there's really nothing out that I want to see. What else can we do? I would say we could go bowling; but after how awesome I did last time, I don't want to that again anytime soon.

"How about we go to like a park or something and just talk?" I suggested.

I can't think of anything else to do; and there's always more of Tanya that I can learn about. Plus a park on a Sunday is guaranteed to be void of all my friends. It would be the perfect place to be in public with Tanya and not worry about anyone seeing us that could get her in trouble.

"Sure, that sounds nice; I actually know the perfect spot we can go to." Tanya said.

We left the restaurant in silence. Tanya only spoke when we got outside and it was only to ask if she could drive since she knew where we were going. Of course I let her. The ride took about ten minutes. She ended up not taking us to a park, but somewhere in the woods where a fallen tree was. The tree must have fallen a long time ago because there was already everything growing on it, seemingly like it was being pulled into the Earth by nature. It was actually the perfect place to sit. There was even a big enough branch that I was able to lean against while talking to Tanya.

"This place is beautiful, how did you find it?" I asked when I got comfortable.

"I didn't, Carmen did on one of her hunts. She showed me this the other day and I was planning on taking you eventually. Now just seemed like the perfect time to show you." Tanya answered.

I probably should have thought out a little more about what I wanted to talk to her about, because now I really have no idea. I guess I could just ask her some questions that have been bugging me for a while; ever since I met her actually.

"Would you mind if I asked you some questions?" I asked, hesitantly.

Edward never really answered my questions. I mean, he did give me answers, but the answers he gave me were just vague and not really to the point. It was like he was giving me answers, but not giving me answers at the same time. I hope Tanya isn't like that.

"Of course, you can ask me anything." Tanya said with a smile.

Her smile actually helped me to calm down a little. I didn't think a smile could do that.

"When we first met, my first class with you, you knew to call me Bella. How did you know that?" I asked. I figure I should start from the beginning with all the questions I've been building up, that should be the easiest.

"When Edward came here when he first met you; he couldn't stop talking about. It just happened that one of the things he mentioned was that you preferred to be called Bella. Thanks to my perfect memory, I knew to call you that." Tanya answered.

She turned her body slightly so that she was facing me a little more. I almost feel like I'm an interrogator with all the questions I have to ask her, but I really want the answers. Hopefully she won't think I'm rude with all the questions.

"Was it really just a coincidence that you and your family went bowling the same night I went with my friends?" I asked next.

"No, I heard you being asked and I decided to take the opportunity to get to know you better." Tanya answered.

I wonder how good vampire hearing really is. I thought we were far enough away to where she couldn't hear us, but I guess we were wrong.

"Were you going to kiss me that day?" I blurted out.

I didn't actually mean to ask that. I was going to wait until after I asked a few more questions then ask. Now I completely embarrassed myself. I probably read too much into what she was doing that and now she will think… well I don't really know what she'll think.

"Yes, I'm always almost about to kiss you. You are a very kissable person Bella, it's almost impossible to resist." Tanya admitted with a look in her eyes that let me know there's no way she's joking.

Deciding to change the topic quickly before something I'm not entirely sure I want to happen happens, I moved on to the next question.

"From talking with you and your family, I get the impression sometimes that you guys knew I was coming here. Is that true?" I asked nervously. Why am I so nervous with Tanya? She's proven time and time again that she doesn't think little me that often if ever. I'm actually almost a hundred percent positive I could ask her any question about anything and she wouldn't mind answering.

"You are really perceptive aren't you?" Tanya asked sounding a bit impressed.

"So I've been told." I mumbled. That's how I was able to figure out the Cullen's were vampires. Though thinking back on it, it was almost obvious they aren't normal. I guess only ever looking at their beauty helps to cloud over everything else.

"As I'm sure you know; the only vampire that has the gift of foresight is Alice. Don't ask me exactly what she saw or how she planned it all out or why she waited so long; but she knew I was for you and you for me. I've known for a few months, a little after Edward left here actually, was when Alice told us." Tanya answered.

That makes a lot of since, but it only adds of more questions. It actually makes me really mad. If Alice knew, why did she leave? Why did she let Edward and I get so close; why put me through all the pain of losing my family. Which I haven't gotten over, by the way, I'm not sure when or if I ever really will.

"Don't be mad at Alice; she knows what she's doing. Like I said, I don't know why she went about this the way she did, but I know, without a doubt, that it was the best way or she wouldn't have. Have faith in her, I'm sure when we see her next, she'll explain for us." Tanya said in a gentle tone.

She grabbed my hand that was in lap and held it in hers, gently caressing my palm with her thumb. I didn't think my emotions were showing that much on my face. I'm glad Tanya told me the truth, but I don't like it, at all. Tanya's words though did help me to calm down. It's not like there's much I can do about it anyways. What's done is done.

"Why don't you ask me another question, I'm sure you have more." Tanya said as she continued to hold my hand.

It took me a few seconds to be able to clear up my mind. I wanted to make sure that I was calm enough to talk with Tanya and not say something about something she had no control over. There are several smaller questions I have for her, but those can always wait for another time. There is one though that I do want to know.

"Why a math teacher?" I asked with a disgusted look.

No offense to the people that like math; but it's such a boring subject. All you do for math is look at numbers. I would much rather prefer to teach something to do with literature; but then again, that's just my preference.

As soon as I asked my question Tanya full out laughed at me. She didn't even bother to attempt to not laugh. She just threw her head back and laughed at me and my question. When I had her attention again I attempted to glare at her. If anything the glare made her want to laugh again, but fortunately she didn't.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. But of all the questions I thought you would have asked, you ask about my chosen profession. If you must know, Alice let me know that math happens to be your weakest subject. I figured if you were really persistent in ignoring me, I would use that to my advantage." Tanya said.

"Which you have." I reminded her.

She made me stay after school and work on my homework with her. In retrospect, I'm actually glad she made me do that; it helped. I'll never tell her that of course.

"And I'm sure I will again." Tanya said with a smirk. "I love the perks that come with being your teacher."

That comment brought back the encounter earlier. If Tanya loves her job like she claims, why would she risk losing it?

"So why risk losing it?" I asked.

Tanya gave me a confused look for a second, and then I saw realization fly across her face.

"Are you worried about me Bella? That's very kind of you." Tanya purred, edging a little closer to me.

"Um, well. It's just I don't want you to lose your job." I stuttered because of the closer proximity of Tanya.

This time Tanya didn't full out laugh at me, instead she just giggled at me.

"Didn't I tell you before; I really don't care about human laws; as long as you don't get in trouble of course. If they decide to make a fuss of it, I'll just quit and they'll never see me again." Tanya said.

I felt my face drop at that. If they find out, then they'll leave? I doubt just Tanya would leave; she would take her whole family with her. Just like with the Cullen's, when something unfortunate happens with humans, they disappear.

I don't know why I'm feeling so sad about it. I had told myself from the beginning this would happen. I knew it would. It was really just a matter of time before Tanya and her family left me.

I tried to pull my hand out of Tanya's grasp, but she held on tight. Her hand cupped my face and forced me to look at her.

"What's wrong Bella? Are you truly that upset that I could lose my job? If you are, then I won't say or do anything that will jeopardize it, I promise." Tanya said softly.

I felt a few tears fall from my eyes. As soon as they started down my face, Tanya was quick to wipe them away.

"That's not it." I barely said, since I was trying not to break down.

This will end up just like last time, I knew it. I knew it and yet I let myself get close to them. I should have known better. I should have continued to ignore her. I probably should have even stopped working for Kate.

"What's wrong Bella? Please tell me so I can fix it." Tanya said, sounding almost desperate.

I took a few deep breaths before I could answer. I don't know why I'm telling her. I should just leave now and try to forget about them, to forget about all vampires. There's just something telling me that I need to answer Tanya; that I need to give her a chance to fix it.

"If the school finds out and if authorities get involved, you're going to leave. You and your family are going to leave, just like the Cullen's." I rushed out before more tears started falling.

Once the words were out of my mouth, Tanya pulled me onto her lap and held me close to her. She started rocking us back and forth in an attempt to get me calm down. It only took a minute, if that, for the tears to stop falling.

"Please never think that. I've told you, even if you wanted me to, I will _never_ leave you. When I said they'll never see me again, I meant every human but you. I would just stay on my property. I have a P.O. Box, so they don't know where I live. I also live so far in the wilderness that I haven't seen a human in miles of the place for several decades now." Tanya said.

She moved our bodies so that I was straddling her lap and facing her.

"Never, ever, doubt I will never leave you. If there's one thing I can guarantee it's that I could and will never leave you." Tanya said.

I don't know if it's because my emotions had gotten the better of me. Or if maybe it's because of the emotions I got from Tanya, but my next action seemed to throw Tanya off just as much as I was thrown off.

Tanya was so sincere in what she said. Her voice was filled with such care, honesty and love, that I couldn't help what I did next. I didn't give my action a second thought, especially since Tanya's already made perfectly clear what she thinks about the topic.

I wrapped my hands around Tanya's neck and attacked her lips with mine. As soon as our lips came into contact I felt a sense of complete and utter bliss wrap around my body. Her lips are so smooth and melded perfectly to mine. I threaded my hands through Tanya's hair as she pulled me closer to her; both of us desperate for more contact.

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><p><strong>AN: It's all downhill from here for these two… until I add in the next curveball. The Cullen's and Victoria have yet to make an appearance, and I promise they will. **


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: Sorry about the delay, hopefully I won't be as slow in the future with updates.**

**Also, in my head, downhill means good. You ever heard the saying 'it's an uphill battle', well I took that and said it's all downhill from here, like smooth sailing and what not. Sorry about the confusion.**

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><p>I can feel her soft lips covering mine. They feel so much better than Edwards ever did; they feel so much more inviting. I feel Tanya applying more pressure against me, so much so that I'm falling backwards. I wrap my hands around her neck and tangle my hands into her hair. I can feel her grip on my waist tighten as we fall backwards.<p>

"Bella, are you even paying attention to me?" Charlie asked.

His voice quickly snapped me out of my mini day dream. Ever since that first kiss yesterday, I can't stop day dreaming about it. Of course, my mind tends to embellish a little about what happened, but that's okay, I don't mind.

"Of course dad, you were telling me about how that team is winning because they have bigger guys right?" I asked.

I know that's way off from what he was saying, because I really don't know what he was saying. I should have known that the moment I asked him to explain the game to me, I wouldn't have paid him any attention. At least he's explaining it to me though.

"Bella." Charlie sighed and then went off into another explanation that I already forgot.

After the kiss yesterday, it seems as if I'm on a constant cloud nine. Tanya's smirk that she gave me after the kiss let me know that she knew exactly the feeling's she caused in me. If I could have yesterday I would have continued our kissing and turned it into a full out make-out session, but of course I couldn't be that lucky. I was actually about to go in for another kiss, when my phone went off.

Charlie called to have me home for something or another. It annoyed me greatly, but at least it saved me from having to see Kate again that day. I know the next time I see her, which happens to be this evening; I'm in for a lot of teasing.

I went home yesterday to go to some work thing with Charlie that I guess families were invited to and Charlie wanted to bring me to. The whole time I didn't pay attention to what was happening but just texting with Tanya. She eventually asked me over for dinner to officially introduce me to her family as her girlfriend.

When I read that certain text with her titling me as her girlfriend, I couldn't stop the squeal of excitement that came out of my mouth. I know, very uncharacteristic of me, but I couldn't help because I was so happy. I was luckily no longer at the function anymore and just with Charlie on the way home, so only he gave me a weird look.

That look he gave me though, when I couldn't explain what had made me so happy, made me realize that I couldn't tell him about Tanya. That quickly dampened my mood. How can I tell my law enforcing dad that I'm dating a teacher? I know Tanya said that she doesn't care about what others think, that she has no problem hiding away in her house until they all forget about her, but I can't not tell my dad. I don't want Tanya to be a secret; it makes me think that I'm not telling because I'm ashamed.

I'll admit I never really saw myself getting involved with a woman before, and I'm still slightly shocked that I am, but I'm insanely happy to be with Tanya. I want my dad to know, but if he knows he'll probably put me on lockdown. I don't want to sneak around to be with Tanya, or at least I don't want to sneak around too much. If Charlie finds out about me and Tanya, he won't let me see her anymore. I can't let that happen.

"So now do you understand Bella?" Charlie said with a slightly proud look on his face. I guess he's really happy that I'm talking to him about sports. I figure that since eventually he'll know about me and Tanya, I might as well start 'buttering him up', so that when he does find out, it'll be easier to get him over it. I hope at least.

"Ya, dad, thanks." I said as we both put our focus back on the game.

My thoughts immediately went from what was happening on the game to what happened today during school. After Zach and Grace saw us yesterday and Tanya made it clear we were at the restaurant together, I'll admit I was really nervous about what they would do. Different scenarios ran through my head all night about what might happen. I thought about what would happen if they told their parents, if they told school officials or if they told Sarah or Lindsay. My thoughts weren't all that positive.

When I eventually managed to drag myself to school, I only did it so I could see Tanya I might add, I went straight to the group hang out like normal. I decided that I would act like nothing was wrong, not that dating Tanya is wrong but you know what I mean, and if someone says something, I'll just deal with it then.

Besides a few suspicious looks from Grace and Zach, no one said or did anything that would make me think they told. Even during math when Tanya felt it would be best to keep me at her desk to help me with today's work, Grace only gave us a suspicious look, but Sarah didn't do anything besides try to trip me. I thought I heard Tanya growl a little at that, but I don't think anyone else notice.

So if Tanya was able to keep me at her desk, in really close proximity because when would Tanya ever not want to be close to me, and kept her hand on my leg the whole time without even bothering to try and hide the fact that she was inappropriately touching me and Grace did nothing, I think we're safe from her doing anything. At least, I hope that's true.

"So where is that you're going again?" Charlie asked when a commercial came on.

"I'm going to a study group with my math teacher." I answered.

That's not a complete lie… at all. I'm going to be with a group, a group known as the Denali family. I'm going to be with my math teacher and I will be studying. I'll be studying how to ignore Kate's teasing and how to hopefully not blush as much. For some reason I don't think any amount of studying will get me used to her.

Getting Charlie to let me go was really easy. The moment he heard study and group, he said yes without asking anything else. He's so happy that I'm apparently hanging out with friends that he wants to make sure he doesn't want to look like he doesn't support it. He seems to be so afraid that I'll go back to how I acted after Edward left that he's become a lot more softer on things like letting me go out late on school nights to 'hang out with friends'.

The only lie I had to tell him was that I was going to a friend's house and carpooling to get there. I didn't tell him that the friend's house is my teacher and that the person giving me a ride is Carmen, not one of my friends from school. He doesn't need to know all that and he didn't ask, so I don't feel bad about not telling him.

I had made sure to tell Tanya as often as possible to make sure it wasn't Kate to get me. I had no problem telling her that I was procrastinating seeing her to put off as much teasing as possible. Luckily I didn't have work today, so I didn't have to worry about her dropping in. I figure that Carmen would be a safe bet to not being teased since when I first met her she was trying to get Kate to back off a little from her teasing during the fake interview.

"That's good, extra studying with friends is good. What time are getting picked up?" Charlie asked.

I would personally like to say that all vampires either have really good timing or they wait outside doors waiting for the right time; because as soon as Charlie asked that the doorbell went off.

"I guess now. I'll see you later Charlie. I don't know how long we'll be, but I promise not to be out to late." I said I stood to leave.

"Good, because you do have school tomorrow and i don't want to sleep through it." Charlie said as I left the room.

I grabbed my jacked, since it was still a bit chilly outside, and opened the door. The smile I had had from the excitement of hanging out with the Denali's faded when I saw who was waiting for me on the other side of the door.

"Aw, come on Bella. You look like you're sad to see me." Kate said with a huge grin.

Let the teasing begin.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry about the shortness of this chapter. To me this was really just a filler chapter. I just wanted to show that Bella still has a relationship with Charlie.**

**Also, as an fyi, when Bella does eventually leave Charlie to become a vampire, because let's face it the Denali's won't break the law to tell Charlie what Bella is really doing and I personally don't want Charlie to be a vampire just to stay with Bella so she's going to have to leave him, but I think the way I have planned is a lot better than just disappearing. **

**The next chapter will be full of teasing and embarrassment for Bella because I love to torture the poor girl.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Kate was nice enough to not say anything when she opened the door. She was even considerate enough to not say anything as we walked to her car. All bets were off though when we got in the car.<p>

"On a scale of one to ten, how did Tanya rate as a kisser?" Kate asked.

Okay, so that's not too bad. Lots of friends, mostly the female variety I bet though, gossip like this. They're always asking the others how well their 'partners' kiss. I can live with this, I can even avoid a full out blush. I did feel my face blush a little though, because let's face it; getting kissed from Tanya is just amazing and well, ya.

"She's –"I started, but Kate cut me off.

"Well, actually, I don't think you can really rate her can you? I mean, you've only had one kiss so far, that's not much to go off of." Kate said with a tone that suggested she was contemplating something.

I couldn't even respond to her. I know she's getting to something. She's working her way up to embarrass me somehow. Why she likes to drag out this stuff is beyond me, but I guess I'll let her have her fun; it's not I could stop her anyways.

"You've also only had what, one other person to compare to? Edward right? So I mean, without much experience, you can't really give an accurate rating right?" Kate said.

I guess she's right, I mean, I think. I would have to say that Tanya is more than a hundred percent better at kissing that Edward; I'm a little biased on the subject, but I still say that's accurate info. I don't know why Kate is bringing up Edward though, or my lack of kissing other people. If it weren't for the fact that I know she would interrupt me if I asked, I would break these silence's she's falling into to ask her.

"There's also the fact that Tanya is your teacher, so I mean it could simply be the fact that kissing a teacher turns you on. I mean, lots of humans get crushes on their teacher's right? I doubt that's the case here, but it could help to make the kiss seem better than what it really is… maybe." Kate said.

I decided to give my attention to the scenery outside. Kate's driving so fast that I can't really make anything out, but it's still better than looking at Kate when she seems to be talking more to herself than to me. I don't want to think too much about what she's saying, because I bet it'll be that much worse when she does finally get to her point that she's decided to take so long to bring up.

"Wouldn't you say that to get an accurate rating of something, you would have to compare it to multiple other variations?" Kate asked me. I hesitated before answering, only because I wasn't sure she was actually going to let me answer this time.

"I guess." I answered.

You can't really say that one type of car is better than all the rest when you've only driven two types of cars. Not that I'm comparing Tanya or Edward to cars, but it's the same line of thinking.

"So you would agree then, that to accurately rate Tanya's kiss, you would need more experience to rate it accurately." Kate said.

Is she suggesting that I go out and kiss someone else? That doesn't fly with me.

"I don't need to kiss anyone else to know that Tanya is the best." I said, finally looking at her, but she has her focus strictly on the road.

"And that's your opinion. I'm just saying that to give an accurate rating, someone would have to kiss more than two people for an accurate rating right?" Kate said.

Now I know for a fact she's leading me into something. I can only guess that she's leading into trying to get me to kiss someone else, but I won't fall for that. I don't know what else she could be trying to do, but I can at least make sure she doesn't get me to kiss anyone but Tanya.

"I guess you're right. But I don't want to test your theory, I'm happy with kissing Tanya." I said.

We turned down a road that was somewhat hidden from the one we were just on. I guess, like the Cullen's, they wanted to hide their house as much as possible, hidden driveways and all. Kate didn't answer me, but she now had a huge grin on her face. She's starting to make me feel really nervous.

We parked in front of a giant three story house. It looked like an old Victorian style house. I didn't have too much time to inspect the house, because Kate practically drifted to her parking spot and immediately dragged me out of the car to inside the house.

Like the Cullen's the house seemed to be update to date with all technology. Though unlike the Cullen's, where they had so much technology that it seemed a little much, the Denali's managed to get their home to seem much more homier. I like this house better than the Cullen's, by far.

"Tanya, guess what I just found out?" Kate asked as she dragged me into what was obviously the living room.

The whole Denali family was gathered in here. Carmen and Eleazar were both sitting on a couch next to Irina. On a love seat opposite the couch, Tanya was just standing up as we came into the room. She had a grin on her face when she saw me. I couldn't help but smile at her also. I was so caught up in just staring at Tanya, that I almost didn't hear her and Kate's conversation.

"What did you just find out Kate?" Tanya said, not sounding too excited about finding out. I guess Kate has used this line before with them.

"I just learned that Bella agrees that she should kiss me." Kate said with a huge smirk. I couldn't but notice that as she said that she carefully moved behind to put me in between her and Tanya.

My eyes went wide and my mouth fell open slightly. That is **not** what we just talked about; not at all. The other three vampires that weren't involved in this conversation avoided showing what they were thinking about when Kate said that, but I swear I saw amusement in Irina's eyes for a second.

"What?" Tanya practically growled out.

Her eyes slowly started getting darker by the moment. Not only did I see anger in her eyes, but also jealousy. What is Kate planning?

"Yup, she agreed that she couldn't accurately say you were a good kisser without kissing more people. So naturally, as her sister, I would have to help right?" Kate asked, taking the whole conversation we had completely out of context.

"You doubt that I'm a good kisser?" Tanya asked me.

I still couldn't find my voice. I could only stare at Tanya like a deer in the headlights. Tanya smirked at me then started walking, more like stalking, towards me. Her eyes started to light up a little as she got closer to me. When she got to me, her eyes were finally back to normal.

She cupped my face in both her hands and slightly tilted my head up so that I could look into her eyes a little easier.

"Then I should just prove it to you then." Tanya said.

I couldn't even think about what she meant by that before her lips attached to mine. My eyes instantly closed when I felt her soft lips on mine. My hands immediately found their way to the back of her head. I tangled my hands into her and tried my best to push her closer to me.

I felt her hands fall from my face and wrap around my waist. Just like I did, Tanya pulled me closer to her. I instantly melted into her body. When her tongue swiped out against my bottom lip, asking for entrance, I granted it without a second thought.

Our tongues instantly met in a battle for dominance. I was so lost in her flavor, in everything Tanya; I lost the fight before it began. I felt Tanya pushing slightly against my body, causing me to take a step backwards. I didn't think about hitting Kate, I only followed Tanya's lead. As we continued what I believe is the best kiss ever, we kept taking steps backwards. I felt my back hit a wall at the same time Tanya pulled away from the kiss. If it was up to me, I would have continued kissing, so I'm glad she was strong enough to pull away.

I kept my eyes close as I desperately tried to catch my breath. Tanya rested her forward against mine as I gathered myself together. I lowered my hands to simply lie around the back of her neck and she kept her hands firmly on my waist.

I opened my eyes to see Tanya's bright gold ones. Tanya seems to have a lot more control than Edward when it comes to being intimate. I believe I just might abuse her control.

"So, would you say that was good enough for you?" Tanya asked with a small smirk.

"For now." I said; surprised at how husky my voice sounded.

The laughter from behind Tanya brought me out of my strictly Tanya focused vision. I can hear the whole Denali family, sans Tanya, laughing.

"Should we leave and give you guys some privacy, or would you prefer for us to stay and continue to enjoy the show?" Kate asked.

I groaned out loud and buried my face into Tanya's neck as my face went bright red. Tanya and I just had an intense make out scene in front of her whole family. That must have been what Kate's place was. Well she definitely succeeded in embarrassing me.

"Come on Bella, this is nothing they haven't seen before." Tanya said, but even though she's trying to console me and my embarrassment, I can still clearly hear the amusement in her voice.

"Ya Bella, I bet this won't be the last time you guys forget the rest of us are here and get all hot and heavy." Kate said.

"Though, I would prefer a warning next time. I would have liked to have the look on your face after wards on film." Irina said in her normal calm voice.

Tanya slowly pulled away from, her hands letting go of my waist, but one of them grabbing my hand and she started leading me towards the love seat. I carefully avoided looking at anyone, at least until I can get my blush to go away.

"No need to be nervous Bella." Carmen said.

"We only want to discuss in great detail what your intentions are with Tanya." Irina said.

"We just want to know how far and how fast you're going to go with Tanya so that we know when we should start ordering replacement beds." Kate teased.

"Do not listen to them Bella. We would only like to talk with you so that we can all get to know each better." Eleazar said.

So, this is the meet the family interrogation time then? I think I can handle this if Kate keeps her mouth shut… ya, because that'll happen.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so I've never really written any kissing scenes or really anything that that at all. So I hope I did an okay if not at least mediocre job with it; if I didn't, sorry; I'll try to get better.**

**I also want to take a quick moment to vent:**

**Does anyone else hate it when author's say they will not update their stories until they receive a certain amount of reviews. Then when the story has the assigned amount of reviews they don't update? It really annoys me. **

**So I decided to do this just to spite those peeps: I will not update this story until I receive 0 (ZERO) reviews. So put that in your juice box and suck it!**

**Sorry, but it bugs me when authors do it; nothing against them, it just annoys me and I now feel better after venting, so thank you.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**Warning: In case someone might get offended, which i don't think they should but just in case, there is a small cuss word at the end of this chapter.**

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><p>After Tanya and I shared that kiss; the rest of the evening went relatively smoothly. Tanya and I sat on the loveseat while we talked with the rest of the Denali family. At first we talked a little about them-selves so that I could know them a little better. We then switched topics to pranks Kate has done in the past. Kate, and occasionally Irina, added seemingly innocent remarks that because I know her, had me blushing.<p>

When the conversation turned to what I wanted to do after graduation, since it was coming up, I found that Tanya had somehow managed to change our positions on the loveseat. Instead of just sitting next to each, I ended up cuddled next to Tanya with her arm draped over me. Even after realizing how close we were now sitting, I couldn't help but cuddle a little more into her; she's just so comfy to lie against.

"Have you thought about what colleges you would like to attend?" Carmen asked.

I hesitated slightly before answering. I mean, when I came to Forks, that was the time that most students start to think about stuff like college, but I didn't. That's when I met the Cullen's; I was so focused on them, or actually Edward, that I didn't think about looking for colleges. I haven't even really thought about what degree I would want to get if I did go.

"Not really." I sheepishly answered.

Most everyone I know, student wise, has already started applying for colleges. I know I was intent on going to college when I first moved here, but I never actually did anything about. I was all talk. I still want to go to college, I'm just not sure what I would do with my time there, I don't want to go and just take classes and waste money. I want to go and actually work towards something.

"Don't worry about it Bella, not everyone goes to college straight after school. Plus, I'm sure Tanya would be more than happy to teach you a few things if you took some time off." Irina said with a smirk.

I knew what she meant, she may not be as obvious as Kate, but she still likes to tease me. I guess my face not going red wasn't acceptable for Kate, because she spoke up next.

"She means Tanya will teach you all she knows about sex; everything from soft and tender, to hard and kinky." Kate said, effectively causing me to blush.

"Be nice Kate; what Bella and I do when we have sex is none of your business." Tanya said, not helping my blush. From the smirk on her face, I'm guessing that was her goal though.

"What subjects are you interested in? Perhaps you can get a degree in that?" Eleazar suggested, ignoring his family's comments.

"Well, I like to read." I said.

What else do I like? I don't really think there's a degree in knowing a lot about vampires and werewolves. I really doubt I would be able to make a career out of knowing about something that doesn't want other people to know about them.

My statement kind of ended that conversation. I guess even centuries old vampires can't come up with something good for a degree that has to do with reading. They then started talking about different degrees they have all gotten in the past. They said that with all the time they have, they made it a goal to get as many degrees as they could. That reminded me of the Cullen's and their collection of all the graduation caps they have; but that collection also included high school.

Tanya said that they were all turned too old to fake being high school kids; but they wouldn't want to go to high school anyways. They said they don't like the restrictions they would have to follow since they would be pretending to be kids.

"What kind of restrictions?" I asked curiously.

"Well, for instance, for anything, even enrolling into school, we would need parental figures and those parental figures would need to have jobs." Tanya said.

"We would 'need' permission for the parental figures to do anything with the school." Irina said while making a face that showed her annoyance at the thought of having to do that.

"Exactly we don't want to have someone call in when we want to take a random day off. With college, we would just not show up." Tanya said.

"There's also the fact that if we get caught having sex in a high school it's a lot bigger issue than getting caught in college. Is that why you two haven't done anything on school grounds yet?" Kate asked innocently.

"I say you two do something; work your way up from holding hands, to groping and kissing and see how long it takes for someone to say something." Irina said.

"Now guys; I'm technically supposed to be a teacher; I shouldn't have sex with my students." Tanya said; her tone suggesting that the idea of doing what they're saying hadn't crossed her mind.

"Then you can teach her not to get caught. I wonder Bella, are you a screamer? Because if you are a screamer; then you'll have to a little more careful to not get caught." Kate said.

I swear I love Kate; she makes me laugh all the time. She's quickly becoming my best friend. But its times like now that I wish someone could duck-tape her mouth shut. She sometimes makes me wonder if I'll always be subjected to her teasing and if I'll ever get used to it.

I'll never admit this to her, but her teasing makes me feel welcomed with them. The fact that Kate has no problem teasing me about my non-existent sex life with her sister makes me feel like she already accepts me in her family. They've all told me in their own ways, that I'm already accepted by them; but her and Irina's teasing just cements it a little.

"Even if she is a screamer, I won't have any problems with being interrupted from ravishing her." Tanya said.

The same time she said that her hand that was lying on my leg, the hand not attached to the arm around my shoulders, started to slowly rub my thigh in small motions. With the conversation the others have started, I don't necessarily want Tanya doing that. It's not that I don't like her doing it, it's just I think if she does it will open up more opportunities for Kate to make fun of me some more. Kate has enough ammunition, whether she creates it or not, to make fun of me, I don't need to help her out with it.

I put my hand on top of Tanya's to get her to stop. She did, but she turned her hand to grab my own. She lifted it up to kiss the back of my hand then held it in her lap as her thumb moved in small patterns on my hand.

"Poor Bella, she's going to be traumatized by the time we get her back home." Carmen said.

The whole night both her and Eleazar had attempted to get at least Kate to tone down her teasing; naturally it didn't work at all, but the thought was nice.

"We're just getting her ready for when she's with us permanently." Irina said as if she was doing me a favor.

"You know it'll be a lot worse when she is." Kate said, giving me a mischievous grin.

I groaned at the thought. I am so not looking forward to that. I leaned my head down on Tanya's shoulder as I groaned to further show me not liking the idea.

"Don't worry Bella, it's only teasing; it's not like we would walk in on you guys having sex." Irina said as if she was actually trying to reassure me though I'm sure she knows she's not.

"Ya Bella, as long as you two stay in your room then we won't interrupt; though when you're out of the room its fair game." Kate said with the evil grin that I really hate.

Oh my God. I seriously can't this conversation. I firmly believe the three blondes have absolutely no modesty what so ever. If it wasn't for Carmen and Eleazar I'm sure I would have feinted already from all the blood constantly rushing to my head from blushing so much.

"I can assure you Kate, that it will be a while for that. I'll admit now that I will be extremely greedy of our time for sex." Tanya said.

They continued talking about Kate walking in on me and Tanya; but I forced myself to tune them out. When Kate started bribing Tanya to have sex with me the first time in less than private places, I decided it was time to ignore them… for now.

Carmen and Eleazar each sent me a look that said they were sorry for Kate's and occasionally Irina's brashness. They even seemed to be partly embarrassed for me. I know they weren't sorry for what Tanya was saying because well, I'm her mate; she can really say anything she wants about me; as long as it doesn't offend me of course.

By the end of the visit I officially decided that Kate needs to teach sex education at high school. The embarrassment she would cause on those poor students would probably make them a little afraid to have sex.

Sometime during the night, when I was ignoring Kate, Irina and Tanya's conversation, Carmen made me some food. Let's just say it rivals Esme's. It was so good that I was honestly tempted to ask her to make me some more so that I could bring some home for later. I'm sure she would have if I had asked because she's just that nice, but I don't want to seem rude.

Tanya was the one that drove me home. Kate had offered to do so, but Tanya said she wanted to so that she can give me a proper good night kiss without Kate's commentary in the background. The ride home was silent, which I was okay and I think Tanya was to. She held my hand the whole time in her lap, her thumb gently stroking the top of my hand.

"Thank you for coming tonight and spending time with the family." Tanya said as she parked outside my house.

I vaguely noticed that the lights were all off in the house so that means Charlie must be asleep already. I would have continued thinking about him being asleep instead of waiting up for me, but Tanya's words got my whole attention. I'm sure she said it on purpose, but instead of saying 'my family', she said 'the family', that's just another indicator saying that I'm accepted by them.

"Sure, it was… eventful." I said. I didn't want to say entertaining, even though it was, because I don't want to say anything that could even have the slightest possibility of letting Kate think I really do like her teasing because then she might get worse.

"It always is." Tanya said; her voice slightly deeper.

By this time we were both not only facing each other but also slightly leaning towards each other. Both of Tanya's hands gently cupped my face and pulled me closer to her. I was close that I can just barely feel her lips on mine, barely.

"I believe now is the time for the dreaded goodbye kiss." Tanya said in an unexpected sad voice.

"Dreaded?" I asked, my voice also sounding a little deeper.

"A goodbye kiss means it is goodbye; even if it's just for now, it's still sad." Tanya said.

"I don't like saying goodbye to you." I admitted.

"Then I will have to make sure this kiss holds you over until I can kiss you again." Tanya said.

Without allowing me to respond, Tanya captured my lips. My hands went to Tanya's shoulders to pull her closer to me. It wasn't necessarily a sensual kiss, but it was enough to show all of Tanya's feelings for me. Her soft lips pressed against mine left no doubt in my mind how she feels about me.

Just like with the last kiss, it was Tanya that had to pull away again so that I could breath.

"If you wouldn't mind, leave your window unlocked so that I can give you a surprise for the morning." Tanya said as our foreheads rested against each other.

"I remember you being in my room before with the window locked." I said with amusement in voice so that she knows I'm not mad.

I remember before we started getting close, Tanya had visited my room when I was falling asleep. I don't remember exactly when it was, or what gave her away, but I know she did.

"That is true and I'm sorry about my momentary lapse of control, I just couldn't be away from you. I don't like invading your space without your permission." Tanya confessed.

Her confession really touched me. Edward had no problem going into my room, whether I was there or not and with or without my permission. This is just something else to add to a non-existent list of reasons of why Tanya is so much better than Edward.

"You're always invited." I said without thinking.

"I don't think you really mean that, at least right now you don't. So, if you don't mind, leave the window unlocked so that I can drop off a present." Tanya said.

In hindsight saying she was always invited to my room could mean a lot of things rather than just what she was asking for; so I'm glad Tanya is the way she is to realize my mistake and not make me regret it.

"Will do." I said as I slowly detached myself from Tanya and crawled out of the car.

I took two steps away from the car before promptly turning around and going to the driver's side. Tanya must have thought the same thing as me because she already had her window lowered for me. I leaned in quickly and gave her quick final kiss then quickly went to the front door. I'll admit that I was slightly embarrassed at my need for another kiss before going inside. That embarrassment left for a different embarrassment though when I tripped during my hasty retreat to the door. I really should have expected that. I could just barely hear Tanya's laughter as I closed the front door behind me.

As I expected, Charlie was already asleep. So I decided to follow his example and I made my way to my room. I did my normal nightly routine for bed, the only difference was this time I made sure my window was unlocked. Once that was all done, I collapsed onto my bed and fell asleep.

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><p>I woke the next morning feeling a little sad. I hadn't realized it last night, but not that my high from kissing Tanya is gone; I realized that I accepted a gift from Tanya. I didn't even try to get her to not give me something. She doesn't need to get me anything. I'll just have to tell her no more gifts after this one.<p>

I moved to get out of bed, but paused when I saw something on my nightstand that wasn't there last night. Next to my alarm clock was a single red rose. Tied to it was a note. A stupid smile fell on my face as I thought of Tanya sneaking in to give me this. This isn't too bad of a present, I wonder if it's a poem.

I sat up in bed and grabbed the rose. Almost instinctually I sniffed the rose before reading the note. The rose smells exactly like Tanya, the best smell ever. After sniffing the rose a couple more times, I decided to read the note.

_Bella;_

_I know you have work today and I would have loved to be there to spend time with but I cannot due to some teaching obligations. I truly cannot wait until we don't have my silly job blocking our time together. _

_Because of this and the fact that I want to spend at least some short alone time with you, I decided there is only one way to get you alone. Since the only way I can avoid the school obligations, or at least procrastinate doing them, and the only way you should avoid going to work is because of school, I'm going to give you a detention. _

_In your backpack you'll find that I've taken your math homework. I also made sure to change the time on your alarm to later so that you won't have time to fully do the assignment. I promise this won't go on your permanent record; this is only an excuse I can use to get you alone._

_Eternally yours,_

_Tanya_

If I didn't think it was the slightest bit romantic I would have been mad that she did that. I will have to give her credit though, it was creative. I put the note and rose back on my nightstand and started to get ready as quickly as my clumsiness would allow.

I ended up getting to school with five minutes to spare, that's not that bad, better than being late. I parked in my normal spot and met up with the group I normally do. Unlike normal though, the group was quitter than normal. They had all watched me walk up and to be honest, it's making me a little nervous.

"Hey guys." I said as I joined the group.

"So Bella, how was your day yesterday?" Sarah asked with fake happiness in her voice, making me feel even more on edge.

I looked around the group and took in everyone's features. Matt looks a cross between sad and happy, how he manages to pull it off I don't know. Both Grace and Zach looked sheepish and remorseful. They were both avoiding looking in my direction. Lindsay looked happy and Sarah looked like she just won the lottery.

"It was okay, I guess." I answered hesitantly, wondering where she's going with this.

"Just okay? Didn't Ms. Denali take you out on another date?" Sarah asked with a huge grin.

Crap.

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><p><strong>AN: So, I have a new poll on page, you all should take it. It's just a question about who I should pair Bella with in my next story. I don't know when I'll start on that one, but I want to at least start on coming up with ideas and a rough time line for the story.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Ignorance, that's the best option right now. I don't want to get Tanya in trouble for dating me. I know she said she doesn't care; but I do. I can't get her in trouble, that's not fair to her. So I should just pretend that I don't know what they're talking about. At least until I come up with a better plan.<p>

"What are you talking?" I asked.

That's a good start, I didn't stutter and I actually sounded calm and confused… at least I hope I did cause that was what I was going for.

"We heard about your date with Ms. Denali." Lindsay said with an arrogant tone.

Couldn't I just find a group to hang out with that didn't have snobbish brats? If I thought I could have gotten away with it, I would have just not befriended anyone here; but I did for Charlie. So because I made friends with these people because of Charlie, does that mean I can be mad at him for the shit storm I'm sure is about to happen? I bet I could if I wouldn't feel so guilty about blaming an innocent Charlie.

"I haven't been on any dates sine I moved here; actually even months before I moved here." I answered.

Does it count as lying if when I said I haven't gone on dates I meant I haven't gone on dates with Edward? Lying by omission isn't lying if they don't know anything is being omitted right?

"That's not what Grace and Zach said; right guys?" Sarah said while looking at the two aforementioned people for confirmation.

Both Zach and Grace continued to avoid making any eye contact with anyone in the group. I can see the guild practically rolling off of them in waves. Good they should feel guilty since if they had kept their mouths shut I wouldn't be in this position.

"Whatever, don't talk. Either way we know it's true. What do you think the school board is going to say about this?" Sarah asked in a tone I'm sure she thought was threatening.

I know exactly what the school board will do. They will put Ms. Denali on probation or give her a leave of absence while they investigate the claim. From there Charlie will hear about it and I'm sure I'll hear never ending lectures about all the bad stuff about dating or getting to close to my teacher and someone so much older than me. If that happens I don't think telling Charlie that Tanya is really only several hundred years old, not twenty something like he thinks she is. Though I must admit, she looks extremely well for age… thinking about Tanya is getting me off topic here. I need to focus on how to not get Tanya in trouble, not on how amazing she looks.

"They're not going to do anything because I haven't done anything with her." I said after a moment's pause.

"That's not what they're going think." Lindsay said.

"Look, why tell me all of this if you're still going to tell them? Are you trying to make me worry? Because there's nothing to worry about." I said.

Are they going to blackmail me? If they do, do I accept or decline. If I accept that means I did do something I shouldn't have done. If I decline they go to the school board and Tanya gets in trouble.

Sarah looked like she was going to say something, but the bell cut her off. I breathed a heavy sight of relief and bid them all goodbye to go to my next class. Practically running away from them probably didn't help with the whole 'I'm innocent' act, but I didn't want to stay there any longer. It probably also didn't help that I avoided everyone the whole day… at least all the way through lunch. After that time when I had tried to avoid Tanya, I was a pro and avoiding other people; but again, I probably shouldn't have done that.

When I got to math class, just barely on time I might add, I say Sarah giving me a mischievous look. This is going to either be a bad class or a good class. I slowly made my way to my seat, just barely being able to not look at Tanya. I didn't want to give Sarah more ammunition. When I sat down, only tripping once and not by Sarah I might add, I looked up to see Tanya looked hurt, but she quickly covered it up. I just hope Sarah didn't see; though I bet if she did she wouldn't be smart enough to recognize the emotion.

The first thing Tanya did was ask for our homework. Just like she told me, I didn't have it. I even made a show of going through my backpack, not really a show but Sarah saw my 'distressed' face about 'forgetting' my homework, so that's all that really matters at the moment. Naturally when I didn't have my homework, Tanya gave me a detention. When she did that I chose to refuse to look at Sarah, I really don't want to know what she thought about that.

The rest of the class went on like normal. Tanya went over the homework, went over the new lesson and handed out the homework assignment. When the bell rang, Sarah abruptly turned to face me.

"Listen, since you're so cozy with our math teacher; you should be able to get the assignments done easily right? Let me copy them off of you for the rest of the year and I promise I won't turn in Ms. Denali. Let me know tomorrow." Sarah said then stalked off.

By the furious look on Tanya's face, that Sarah somehow did not see, I could tell she figured out what had happened. Tanya kept glaring at the closed door where Sarah had just left, leaving me and Tanya alone in the classroom.

"Tanya?" I said as I approached her desk before leaving for my next class.

"She threatened you." Tanya growled, her eyes slowing turning black.

If it wasn't for the fact that I don't want Tanya to hurt the girl… well maybe just a little but I won't admit it, I would have thought Tanya looked really sexy right now. Not that she I don't think she does, but I may have said something about it. Okay I wouldn't have said anything about because I bet it would get back to Kate and Irina and I'm sure they would use that against me somehow.

"She didn't threaten me, she indirectly threatened you Tanya." I said calmly.

Sarah blackmailed me, not threatened, there's a difference.

"No one threatens," Tanya threw a quick glance at me for the next two words, "or blackmails," She then moved her eyes back to glare at the door, "my mate." Tanya declared.

Did I mention Tanya is really sexy right now? Because she is; but I can't think about that right now. I have to get her to calm down and at least get her eyes back to a believable human color instead of black.

I moved from in front of the desk to in front of Tanya and gave a quick kiss on her lips. I would have given her a longer and more meaningful kiss, but I don't want to get caught and guarantee Tanya getting in trouble.

"That was effective." I said when I pulled back and notice her eyes had lightened a little and she didn't look like she was about to murder the door.

"Your touch does amazing things." Tanya said with smile.

"I guess." I muttered.

"You should touch me in other places and see what other reactions you can get from me." Tanya said with a teasing smirk.

If I wasn't so sure this was really Tanya, I would have thought Kate just snuck in here. I can't believe Tanya went from being insanely pissed to teasing me, making me blush, in almost five seconds flat.

"I, um, think I'll pass on that." I said, my voice getting quieter and quieter as I talked.

"Hm, I guess you should since you need to get to class; but detention I'm all yours." Tanya said with a seductive purr in her voice. She leaned in closer to my ear so that I could feel her lips just barely brush against it. "We'll talk about Sarah then. Now get to class." Tanya said then pulled away.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the door opened to allow a couple students in. So I decided to just turn around and leave for class. Before I even took one step away from Tanya's desk, I felt her hand literally grab my ass before quickly letting go. I first looked at the class and it seemed they didn't see anything, I then turned to look over my shoulder at Tanya and she gave me a look that practically screamed 'if you stay any longer I'll do it again', so I left.

If I said that I spend the rest of my time in classes that day paying attention and not at all thinking about Tanya's hand on my butt, would anyone believe me? I wish it was true, because by the final bell I had homework assignments that I don't remember being assigned much less learning about.

I believe this is the first time that I actually hurried to Tanya's classroom. I know that the classroom would be emptied almost immediately since no one wanted to stay in the class with her, for some weird reason they were all afraid of her. So when I got there it was no shock that she was sitting at her desk, grading papers and with no one else in the room with her.

"Close the door behind you, I'd rather not worry about people seeing or hearing about what we're about to do." Tanya said as she looked up and gave me a smirk.

I loudly gulped at what I know she was insinuating I'm glad I know she means talking about Sarah, though what she plans to do… well I don't know. But I closed the door just like she asked. I don't want anyone to hear about what Sarah is going to do to Tanya.

Without Tanya saying anything I automatically took the seat she had already pulled up right next to hers. I also didn't so much as flinch or tense up when Tanya immediately placed an arm around my shoulders and forced me to lean against her. Or at least it would have been forced if I had any intentions to fight her against pulling me against her, which I didn't.

"So, can you please tell me why I shouldn't do anything to Sarah for blackmailing you?" Tanya asked in an innocent tone; like her reaction to Sarah was normal and the fact that I didn't want her to do anything was absurd.

"Because I don't want you to get in trouble; I just want to finish this year without any drama." I said with a sigh. Dating a vampire seems to go hand in hand with drama.

"She's blackmailing you; I can't let her do that." Tanya said with a growl, getting slightly more upset.

"Honestly I don't mind letting her copy my homework; most kids do it anyways." I said.

I know I shouldn't just give in to Sarah, but this will probably be the only opportunity I get to 'protect' Tanya. I know what I'm 'protecting' her from is getting fired from a job that she doesn't care, earning a reputation that she doesn't care about and really the whole thing can just easily go away with Tanya just hiding in her house and not coming out until these people have all died from old age. But that's not the point, the point is, is that I have an opportunity to protect Tanya, I can't let that pass. Plus, how often is it that a human gets to protect a vampire, it's usually the other way around.

"You shouldn't have to. No one threatens my mate and gets away with it." Tanya growled out, not budging from her stance.

"She's not threatening me, she's blackmailing, it's different." I said, not bother to point out that I've already told her this.

"It's the same in my book." Tanya huffed; reminding me a little of a child.

"It's really not that big of a deal. It's just blackmail for homework that I'm sure she would have copied from someone else. I bet anything she probably just said that because she wants to come back later to ask for something more." I said, the last more speculative than anything.

I really should have kept that last thought to myself though. I had briefly wondered why Sarah would ask to copy my homework when I'm almost positive she copies Grace since we all the same class. During my last hour I came up with the thought that maybe Sarah only asked to copy my homework to see if I'll do it and if I do she'll then ask for something else, something bigger I bet.

"If she even thinks about it I'll kill her." Tanya growled out, her tone making me think she's not kidding.

Since I was still leaning against her, I felt her whole body shake with rage. I can't understand why Tanya is getting so mad over this; I really think this is an over-reaction, a big over-reaction.

"Tanya, calm down, I swear it's not bad enough to kill over." I said; getting slightly nervous that Tanya might follow through on her threat to Sarah.

"Yes. It. Is." Tanya said, each word said pointedly to seemingly get me to believe her words more.

"Explain to me how it is, because I'm not seeing it." I said.

I pulled away from Tanya, though her arm kept attached to me, and I stared Tanya in her eyes. Her eyes were now completely black from her anger. She closed them and took several deep breaths. About a minute later, she slowly opened them and her eyes where once again a more human color.

"Carmen warned me, but I didn't believe her. I thought my age, just like with the thirst, would curve it more." Tanya said, adding to my confusion.

"What?" I asked, giving her a look that I'm sure said I thought she was losing it right now.

"Unfortunately I don't have time to explain because I have several staff meetings to attend; something about stupid lesson plans and end of the year stuff that I couldn't care less about. Needless to say, I have to leave soon to go to them to keep up this stupid waste of time appearance. So, I called Carmen before you got here. Go to the store and Carmen will be there, talk with her." Tanya said while her arm pulled me back into her body.

Okay, that didn't explain anything. Nothing at all.

"Again, what?" I asked as I rested my head against her shoulder and she laid her head on my head.

"My reaction, you asked for an explanation that I can't give, I don't have enough time. Carmen can tell you." Tanya said.

"She can tell me why you're willing to kill someone over wanting to copy my homework?" I asked to clarify.

"She's blackmailing you, not simply copying your homework." Tanya growled out like she was offended I downgraded the situation. Though I didn't really downgrade it, since that's exactly what Sarah is doing. "But yes, she will." Tanya said.

"Okay, I'll go talk with her." I said.

"Good, now, I'm afraid I have to kick you out so that I can go." Tanya said.

I made to leave, but before I could leave my chair, Tanya used her other hand to guide my face to hers. Our lips met as if the attraction was magnetic. It was a slightly longer kiss than earlier, but when Tanya slightly bit my bottom lip as she pulled away, a moan slipped past my lips.

"I can't wait till I make you make that noise all day." Tanya said with a smirk.

I blushed at what insinuated. Before I could remark, or stutter a remark about her claiming to eventually have sex all day with me, the door opened to reveal another teacher. I didn't even notice that Tanya already moved an appropriate amount of space away from me. At least she recognizes that I don't want to get her in trouble.

I left the class with a quick goodbye and left the building. I drove straight to Kate's bookshop to have this 'talk' with Carmen that I'm still not really sure what she's going to talk to me about. I just have this feeling that I should be wishing right now that Kate isn't there.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so I wanted to get a chapter, or part of a chapter or what evs, up that explains the whole mating between human/vampire thing. If I remember correctly, which I don't think I do since it's been a while since I've read the books or seen the movies, no one really explained the whole mating thing to Bella. So I wanted the Denali Coven to, since they fully accept Bella as Tanya's mate, I figure they would want to let Bella know what she's getting into.**

**So the next chapter, Carmen is going to have 'the talk' with Bella. I'm still deciding if I want Kate to be there or not. I can see Kate making sure she's there to embarrass Bella and I can also see Carmen making sure Kate isn't there to try and not embarrass the poor girl any more than necessary; what do you guys think? Should Kate be there?**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>I half expected Kate to be sitting at the counter with a wide grin when I showed up at her store. When I opened the door, all I saw was Carmen behind the counter. Like usual, the bookstore was empty, so Carmen switching the open sign to close was probably not needed.<p>

"We'll talk in the office where there are more comfortable seats." Carmen said as she started walking towards the back to the office.

I wonder if this is going to be a long talk. From everything I learned from Edward, which was not much, I wouldn't think being a vampire's mate is that complicated. I wouldn't think this conversation would take that long.

Carmen had me sit in the 'bosses' chair that was a lot comfier than the one I should have sat on. I guess since can't get uncomfortable, she let me have the bigger chair. Carmen closed the office door to give us more privacy; privacy from what I'm not sure though.

"So, I received a call from Tanya after the class she had with you. She asked me to explain some things to you." Carmen said, getting straight to business.

"Couldn't Tanya just wait until have her meetings to tell me?" I asked.

Her meetings shouldn't last that long. Plus, as Tanya has told me plenty of times, she doesn't care about her job or getting in trouble with it, so why not skip the meetings? Why have Carmen tell me instead of her?

"Tanya feels that I would be better at explaining the dynamics of mating." Cue my blush. I think I've been hanging around Kate too long if my mind immediately goes to the gutter with that word. "Since I've been mated for a long time with Eleazar, I have first-hand knowledge of what you two should expect. Tanya wasn't with us when we were first mated, so she has only heard of how newly mated pairs act. To be honest I'm not even sure she's met a mated pair while in their early years." Carmen said.

"Then shouldn't Tanya be here to?" I asked.

If Tanya already knows what Carmen is about to tell me, why would she not be here? I don't want to sound clingy or anything, but I like being around her, this talk is only cutting into my time with Tanya.

"Tanya felt that you would be more comfortable with her not being here. Hence why I threatened Kate to make sure she isn't here." Carmen answered.

Carmen threatened Kate to not show here? Well at least that explains why I didn't see her when I first got here. Though I wonder what Carmen threatened her with. I would like to be able to use that in the future for when Kate gets really annoying. Carmen must have predicted I would want to know, because she answered my unasked question next.

"I won't tell you what I threatened her with. I haven't even told the others. I believe Edward and Alice would be the only ones to know and that's because of their gifts. But because of their gifts I know they know how to keep secrets, so they won't tell either. What I have on Kate is something I plan to keep to myself, if too many people knew then I wouldn't be able to use it against her." Carmen said.

Okay, so it's obviously something she did… I think. That would make since. I mean, if everyone knows you did something embarrassing no one can hold it against you; but if only one person knew, they can do what Carmen is doing. Blackmailing, I never thought Carmen would do that.

"Blackmailing?" I asked.

"No, well in a way I suppose. The only negative thing that happens because of me using my knowledge against Kate is that she won't bug someone, but rather someone else. That's the only time I, as you say, blackmail her. If you want, I can call her and tell its okay to come, I'm sure she would be here as quickly as she could." Carmen said with a teasing smile.

"No, no, that's okay." I quickly said.

If we're talking about me and Tanya being mates and all that comes with it, I do without Kate being here. I guess I can also see what Tanya would think I wouldn't want her here also. Tanya may not be nearly as bad as Kate, but she still teases, and I would like to get through this conversation without my face feeling like it's about to explode from all the blood rushing to my face.

"I thought so." Carmen said with an almost arrogant smirk, but then her face with back to its natural seriousness. "First off, do you have any questions before we begin?" Carmen asked.

I'm sure I do, I just don't know what they are yet. All I know is that vampires mate for life; a vampire mating with a human is rare. I thought that also a vampire's human mate's blood sings to them, but since I'm not Edward's mate, I don't think that's true.

"Well, Edward never really told me that much." I said.

Carmen's face, for maybe a second, looked mad. That look she had made me not want to get on Carmen's bad side if ever because the look alone is a bit scary.

"The fool; the moment he believe he was your mate, which he shouldn't have in the first place, he should have told you how he would act so that you expect it. Vampires act slightly different when they are newly mated, some are more controlled than others, but still, all act different." Carmen said with a bit more harshness in her voice than I thought necessary.

"Is it really that important to know? I mean, I would definitely like to know, but you seem a little more upset that I would think you would be about Edward not telling me." I said.

I don't want her to think I'm okay with Edward not telling me, because the fact that he wouldn't clue me most of the time really annoyed me. I just don't think it's anything to really be that mad about now, since what's done is done, nothing bad happened because he didn't tell me how newly mated pairs act.

"It is important to know. If you would have known I'm sure with how smart you are, you would have figured out you two weren't actually mates." Carmen said.

"What didn't he tell me?" I asked with slightly narrowed eyes.

Does that mean he knew we weren't mates? Alice already knew, yet she let me continue going out with him and let him and his family leave me. I don't know how much more betrayal I can take.

"When a vampire meets their mate in another vampire, the connection is instant. Both vampires can feel the bond between them. They instantly grow closer and crave each other's presence. It's not uncommon for newly mated pairs to always be in each-other's company." Carmen explained.

"So they're attached at the hip basically? Isn't that called the newlywed phase?" I asked.

I'm not seeing the difference of vampire mates and human couples. It seems the same to me so far, except the whole being a vampire and not technically alive thing.

"I supposes, if it were that simple. New mates in extremely emotional; they are very protective of the other and are very possessive. It's not common for one of the pair to become jealous very easily and act out on it. Newly mated pairs usually keep to themselves, away from others, until they outgrow this phase." Carmen explained.

"So, since Edward thought I was his mate, is that why it seemed like he was taking me away from my friends, my human friends, because he was jealous?" I asked.

"Well, that's a bit complicated. If he was actually your mate then, yes that would be why. I wouldn't be surprised if Tanya was planning on going on an extended vacation with you in the near future. But, Edward isn't your mate, so his actions aren't the result of that, that's just how he is. I'm sure Tanya will feel threatened by I'm guessing just Irina and Kate since they're still single. This will start to show more since you two have started to get closer." Carmen said.

So, I know I didn't realize it at the time, but Edward getting me to alienate my human friends was just because that's the way he is? Why would anyone think that's okay? Is that how people from his time did things?

"So because we aren't mates, his actions weren't influence at all by his instincts?" I asked to clarify.

"I wouldn't say that. You are his singer, he craves your blood. I'm sure on some instinctual level he wanted you all alone to himself. If that were the case though, he wouldn't have allowed his family to get so close to you. His instincts wouldn't allow his food source to be threatened to be take away so easily by another." Carmen said.

That doesn't really help clear anything up. I understand that because to him, I am the most delicious meal he could have because of my stupid blood, so he would want to keep me to himself. In a way he did, but only from humans, he let me get close to his family though.

"Why keep me only separate from humans though and not his family?" I asked.

"I could only guess that he didn't want the other humans scent to mix with yours. A human's scent is different and stronger than a vampire. While both are strong in their own rights, a human's scent ignites our thirst and a vampire's doesn't. So I'm guessing Edward wanted your scent as pure as possible so that he could enjoy it more. I'm sure he would have had a hard time explaining to his family why he would leave suddenly in the middle of the school year as well as hiding from Alice if he would have actually killed you." Carmen said.

Okay, so that's a little creepy. Edward didn't want to kill me because he thought he would get caught and in trouble. So instead he kept me away from anything that could hinder my smell too much. I wonder if that affected the way he treated Jake at all. If Edward went through all that trouble to keep his scent to himself, why leave me?

Of course, I don't actually know if what I'm saying is true. The only person that would why he did what he did would be Edward. Well, Alice knows as well. I wonder if maybe Jasper knew. He is an empath; wouldn't he be able to tell the different between the love of a regular couple and that of soul mates?

"You don't really know though do you? It's all just guessing?" I asked.

"No I don't. Our family has talked about it, but we can't come to any real conclusions without talking to Edward himself. Enough about that though, I don't know any more on the topic than what I've already told you. We are supposed to be talking about you and Tanya here." Carmen said, taking control of the conversation again.

"Sorry." I said sheepishly since I was the one that diverted the conversation. Not on purpose I might add.

"It's not a problem; I'm always more than happy to answer any questions you have. But I would rather have this conversation over as soon as possible so that we can make sure Kate doesn't decide to ignore what I said and come here." Carmen said with a smirk.

I guess Carmen didn't make sure Kate would leave us alone all day. Maybe she gave Kate a time limit to stay away? Or perhaps Kate is just so addicted to embarrassing me that she can't stay away. Whatever the reasoning for Kate possibly coming here while still talking about this mate thing, I want to make sure we avoid that from actually happening.

"Okay, so you've explained the basics of vampire's mating with vampire's, how about vampire's mating with a human?" I asked.

"Well, I haven't explained that much about anything really, but I've told you enough. The rest I'm sure you'll learn with Tanya as you go through it yourselves. The difference, the big difference, between mating with a vampire and a human, is simply you're much more fragile." Carmen said.

I couldn't help but give her an annoyed look. That was one big issue I had with Edward. He made it seem like I was glass sometimes and did his best to limit anything I did that he deemed dangerous. He didn't even bother checking to see if what he was doing bothered me at all.

"No need to be upset, it's just the facts. Until you can fall, like you're so prone to, and not hurt anything, then you can argue your fragility to me." Carmen said with a smirk.

"I know I'm not as durable as you guys, but I'm not as fragile as some make me out to be." I said defensively.

I almost said as fragile as they make me out to be, but they haven't done that. If anything with Kate using her powers on me all the time, it just proves that they aren't about to wrap me in bubble wrap like I'm sure Edward probably thought about doing a couple times.

"Was Edward a bit overprotective for your tastes?" Carmen said with a knowing smile.

I chose not to answer because it's clear she already knows.

"I didn't mean to make you upset, but you being more fragile than Tanya will make her instincts act slightly different. She'll be more than willing to fight for you, to protect you from anything. She'll hesitate on not trying to talk to you out of doing something that could get you hurt." Carmen said.

Her choice of words immediately caught my attention. There were countless times when Edward wouldn't _let_ me do something. It was almost like I needed his permission to do anything outside of my normal daily routine. Carmen said though, that Tanya would tell me not to do something, but rather try to talk me out of it. She said Tanya would, like what I believe a normal couple would, talk to me about her issues of whatever it is I was doing instead of giving me an order.

"So, she wouldn't just demand I not do something she doesn't like?" I asked.

"Well she could, but it would still be your choice to listen to her or not. So I'm sure she'll just try to persuade you to listen to her and not do something she doesn't want you to do." Carmen said.

Well, that's a lot different from Edward. Being Tanya's mate just seems to keep getting better and better.

"So, if I wanted to go sky diving and Tanya didn't want me to, she wouldn't stop me but let me go?" I asked to make sure.

"Of course; but if you want to go sky diving I'm sure our whole family would do our best to stop you because no offense, but you seem to be in a constant losing battle with gravity. I'm sure that at the least Tanya would go with you if you did decide to go though. Kate and Irina would probably want to tag along to see if you mess anything up with your less than graceful actions." Carmen said with a teasing smirk.

Even though I know she just insulted me several times about my clumsiness, I was still very happy to hear what she said. I would have, no… I do have a family that instead of preventing me from doing something, would actually join me. Instead of not letting me have the experience, they would just make sure I live to tell about it.

"You're not planning on sky diving are you?" Carmen asked hesitantly, like she was afraid that I actually was.

"No, I don't think I could away with doing something like that without being immortal first. I just wanted to know what Tanya would do." I answered quickly. I would definitely need immortality first before I try anything more dangerous than walking on flat surface… at least until I've mastered walking on a flat surface without tripping.

"We're about half way done with this conversation. There are only a couple more things to talk about. Some slightly more embarrassing topics to you I'm sure. So do you have any questions before we start the end of this conversation?" Carmen asked.

"Nope, I've asked them all as we went." I answered.

"Okay. So the next thing would to talk about the actually mating part of being mates, sex." Carmen said. I can tell she's trying to not smile at my obvious discomfort, which is appreciated. This is not a conversation I want to have.

"O-okay." I stuttered while failing miserable to appear both bothered about our next topic.

"All you should really know is that a newly mated vampire is, well for lack of a better term, horny. I remember having sex every chance I could get with Eleazar. I believe it has something to do with bonding with your mate and cementing the relationship, but I don't really know. That would be something Carlisle I'm sure has a whole scientific answer for." Carmen said.

"Okay, so Tanya really wants to have um, sex, with me. All… the time?" I asked.

"Correct. Because you're human, the bond will take a little a longer to affect you and it won't be as strong as it is for a vampire. Also because you're human, Tanya will most likely be more prone to just having physical contact with you all the time, if not most of the time. She'll still want sex with you, but unless you want to as well, she won't push you. A mate will never make their partner uncomfortable in any way. When you do have sex though, while you're human, I'm sure Tanya will do all she can to get you in her bed." Carmen said. If her tone wasn't so serious, I would have thought she was teasing me, but I can tell from not only her tone, but also her facial expression that she means what she told me. So I'm going out with a constantly horny vampire.

Wait… Carmen said while I'm human. So does she expect me to have sex with Tanya before I'm changed? Edward said that's not possible. Should I be concerned that the first think that comes to my mind is the fact that Tanya can't have sex with me rather than she is going to?

"Edward said a vampire can't get intimate with humans because we're too fragile." I said, allowing my confusion to show in my voice.

"I can guarantee that you being human will have absolutely no impact on whether or not Tanya will have sex with you. Granted she won't be able to completely let herself go because she can hurt you, but she can still have pleasurable sex with you." Carmen said.

So really the only difference about me being a human is that Tanya will be more protective of me; but not to the point of not letting me do what I want to do like Edward. That explains why she got so hostile about Sarah, though I hope Tanya doesn't do anything to her.

"The mate connection you two have will grow, and if you aren't turned yet, you will want to have sex with her and Tanya would never refuse you." Carmen said.

"Okay, so I think the gist of all this is that Tanya is just going to be very protective right?" I asked.

"And also slightly possessive, but you will be to when you are eventually turned. When you get turned it will be like you are a newly mated vampire and Tanya will just go along with the ride because it means more sex for her. This phase doesn't last that long, it varies from couple to couple; but I'm sure when you get turned you two will go on another extended vacation." Carmen said.

At least I get two long vacations out of this right? Two long vacations with Tanya, I can't think of anything else I would enjoy more than that.

"Thank you Carmen, I can see where this would get awkward with Kate and Tanya both." I said since I'm assuming this conversation is over.

"It's no problem, I'm glad I can help. Although, I think my help has ran out." Carmen said.

"Why's that?" I asked giving her a confused look.

"Well, Kate arrived within hearing range a few minutes ago. She called Tanya and she'll be here in about a half hour or so. Kate said she would keep you company and since our conversation about mating is over, I can't keep her away." Carmen said.

"Oh." I said, getting slightly nervous for what Kate might do.

As that thought went through my mind Kate made her appearance in the office. The door opened to show a very serious looking Kate. She sat down in the only other available seat next to Carmen, folded her arms onto the desk in front of her and gave me a serious look.

"Now that Carmen is done with her conversation, I believe as your big sister, it's only fair that I have this conversation with you." Kate said in all her seriousness.

"A conversation about what?" I asked nervously.

I quickly glanced over to Carmen to see if she could give me any hints about what Kate might be talking about, but she looked as clueless as me.

"I should also tell you that Irina wanted to be here, but she had to hunt. Someone kept her from hunting earlier today, so she has to now." Kate said, avoiding answering my question.

"A conversation about what Kate?" I asked with slightly more force this time.

"Well, my dear sister, I happen to know you are a virgin since I know Edward was your first everything and he's too much of a prude to have sex." Kate said, her lips smirking for a little bit before her face slipped back into the serious mask she was wearing.

I felt my face pale a little at what she said. I can only imagine where Kate is going to take this. First off, it's a little unnerving that she knows that I'm a virgin, but the fact that she's now bringing it up makes me a little afraid.

"Um." Was the only word I could get out of my mouth.

"So, with your lack of experience and my simple amazingness at everything I do, I decided to help you." Kate said in a still very serious tone.

Now my imagination is going wild. If it wasn't for the fact that Carmen is still here and I know she will stop Kate if she goes too far (which I bet she will eventually), I would be trying my best to get away.

"Um… okay?" I said, more like questioned.

"So, Bella, I decided to give you a crash course in sex education and what exactly you need to do to ravish Tanya in bed." Kate said her personality finally coming out.

She said everything so fast that I was barely able to catch it all. The fact that I'm sure Kate has every intention of having this conversation with me caused my face to go bright red. I do not want to be talking about this with anyone… except Tanya for obvious reasons.

"Kate!" Carmen yelled in a scolding tone but it seemed to have no effect on Kate.

Great, a half hour of this until Tanya comes to save me. I'm not sure I'll survive.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter: The whole Bella being blackmailed thing will be dealt with.**

**So I don't remember exactly when in the school year Bella had started to 'get better' from hanging out with Jake. I know I wrote this so that when she started to hang out with him she then moved here as the start of the story. But for the purpose of my story I'm making the school year have maybe a month left, if that. Just so you guys know.**

**Also, the Cullen's will be showing up during the summer and it's not a surprise visit the Denali's will know with plenty of time before they come.**

**Victoria will also make her appearance during the summer and be dealt with then also.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Kill me, kill me now please. If there is anyone out there right now listening to me, please kill me now.<p>

"So, I recommend using your tongue." Kate said.

For the last I don't know how long, but I hope it's been an half hour; Kate has been going on about what I need to do to Tanya to give her max pleasure. This woman has absolutely no shame. At first I thought she might have a little, because well, I mean I was just hoping, but I was horrible wrong.

At first Carmen was able to get Kate to shut up by talking to me about random stuff like school and my parents and stuff, but that only lasted for maybe ten minutes at the most. Kate covered Carmen's mouth with her hand to keep her quiet and started talking to me about sex. I don't know how I haven't gotten a nose bleed from all the blood in my face right; it's got to be some sort of miracle.

Kate hasn't gone over too much, only what she calls 'opening moves'. I apparently have to master these in order to get Tanya into my bed whenever I want. Most of them sounded like she made them up on the spot and only wanted me to do those to see if Tanya would laugh at me. I mean really, I think a fourteen year old on his first date could do better than what Kate's suggesting.

"I know you can't, but try with all your might to leave a hicky. I know Tanya would really appreciate the gesture. If you do that then…" Kate said.

I've been doing my best to try and block her out, but sometimes stuff gets through and my face goes bright red again. Especially when I only hear part of what she's saying and it sounds very rated 'X'. Carmen gave up trying to get her to remove her hand a while ago, now she's just staring at me with a sympathetic look.

I even tried to let Kate that I really don't need her to tell me, that I'm sure Tanya will let me know exactly what to do when the time comes. Kate just insisted that it's her job as my sister to tell me all this so that her other sister will be happy. I tried to point out that technically I wasn't in the family so she couldn't be my sister. Kate just shook her head and said the moment Tanya claimed me as her mate made me as good as a blood sister as far as she's concerned. After hearing that touching comment, I couldn't help but let Kate continue talking.

"So that's what you need to know about that, but if I think of anything else, I'll be sure to tell you. But for now, if you could please switch me spots, that'd be great." Kate said as she stood.

She finally released Carmen, who only rolled her eyes, and walked to my side of the desk. I gave her a confused look, but did as she asked anyways.

"Why do you want to switch seats?" I asked, sitting down in Kate's old seat.

"Because she knows she keeps pushing her luck and you're the only one keeping it from running out." Carmen answered.

I was about to ask what she meant by that, but my answer came to me when Tanya opened the door and looked really annoyed.

"Before you say something that you don't mean, I was just telling all that for you." Kate said in a defensive tone, but the smirk she was wearing gave away that she finds this all very amusing.

"I don't want you talking with Bella about how to get someone in bed." Tanya said through gritted teeth.

So this would be the instincts Carmen was telling me about. I guess Tanya must have heard part of what Kate was telling me as she ran here and assumed she was talking about like she was going to use those moves on me? Or I don't know, something about me and those moves to get into bed that make sense with someone besides Tanya.

"Tanya, I would only try to get you into bed." I said without thinking as I stood and faced her.

Once the words were out of my mouth, my face went bright red again. That's not what I meant, well… sort of. I mean that she's the only, but I'm not offering at all… right now. Tanya's smirk let me know what she was thinking.

"So you want to get me into bed?" Tanya asked.

"Well, no, I mean yes, but not now, or you know…" I said while trailing off.

How do I answer that? I say no and I know for a fact I hurt her feelings. If I say yes, she might take me up on that right now, and I'm just not ready for that step.

"Someone's a little indecisive on if they want to have sex." Kate said and I'm sure she has a grin.

"Not that it's any of your concern." Tanya growled to Kate. "If you want to know Bella, you never have to try those things Kate was telling you; I'm always more than willing to have sex with you, whenever and wherever." Tanya said, that last part coming out as a seductive purr.

She took a step closer to me and one of her hands cupped my cheek while the other wrapped loosely around my back.

"And trust me, she means _wherever_." Kate said, sounding amused.

I think I might just start getting used to always blushing, I almost don't feel it anymore. Tanya let out low growl to I'm sure Kate and pulled me closer to her. My hands instinctively wrapped around her neck and I met her lips half way. Because we were still in front of people, I pulled away somewhat quickly, no need to make out in front of someone that can use that as teasing material. I saw Tanya's look disapproval from the lost contact, so I gave her a quick peck to try and sooth her over.

"I thought your meetings were going to last longer?" I asked, still pulled tight against her and I have no motivation to move.

"They were, but my department was done first, so I should have stayed if I had any interest in keeping the job, but sense I don't, I left." Tanya said.

"From what I hear, you left to do more work though right?" Kate asked for once this afternoon without a tone that made me think my face was about to turn into a tomato.

"What work?" I asked.

Tanya gave me a sheepish look before pulling me back into a kiss. I'm not sure if her goal was to distract me from what I was asking, if it was it did work for a little bit, but I still managed to pull away… when I needed to breathe again.

"What work?" I asked again when I caught my breath.

"I find it absolutely cute that you want to protect me and I really appreciate that you were going to do so the only way you could think of to do. But you see, no one blackmails my mate, no matter how stupid the blackmail is. So I made a call to Irina." Tanya said, still with a sheepish look on her face.

"What did you two do?" I asked.

I pulled away from her slightly as I gave her an accusatory look. Clearly she's guilty of doing something she probably shouldn't have done and I want to know what it is. As soon as I pulled away, Tanya only took a step forward so that her feet where mixed with mine and threw my balance so off that the only way I was still standing was that Tanya still had one hand wrapped around me to keep me up. I take it Tanya didn't want any space between us and I'm perfectly okay with that.

"Well, I technically didn't do anything, but I was in the area to hear happen. Irina, without being seen, gave Sarah a very good warning to back off. As I'm sure you know, Sarah is a bit of a bully, so Irina was general enough in her warning to get the human to back off everyone. I wanted to make sure your name wasn't used so that in case Sarah somehow managed to find enough courage to go to someone about Irina's threat, you wouldn't be involved at all." Tanya said.

At first I was sad that the one thing I thought to do to protect Tanya, because let's face it as a human teenager with no connections there's nothing I could have done to stop Sarah and letting her copy my homework realistically isn't that bad, I couldn't do. There's really nothing that I can actually protect Tanya from and I really wanted to have this chance to do so.

Then I was happy for what she did. I mean she got Irina, though I'm sure it wasn't that to do, to threaten Sarah for me. She protected me from some stupid high school blackmail that was so stupid that I'm sure an elementary student could have thought of something better.

"Wait, Bella was blackmailed?" Kate asked sounding a little mad. From the corner of my eye I could see Carmen looked a little upset as well.

"Was that okay to do? I know you wanted to protect me and you do for a time, I just took it up a notch and protected us both." Tanya said ignoring Kate.

"Its fine Tanya, I really don't mind." I answered.

The way she worded her sentence made it seem like I did protect her, for all of two seconds, but I guess I did. Sarah could have technically gone to someone right after class if I had told her no, but I didn't so she didn't. The fact that Tanya thought of that just makes her that much sweeter to me.

I let go of her waist, fully confident her grip on me will keep me from falling, and tangled my hands into Tanya's hair behind her head. With what little strength I have compared to her, I pulled Tanya's head to me to kiss. I did my best to pour my feelings into that kiss, to let her know I really do appreciate what she did. As soon as Tanya pulled away to let me breath, I swear one day I might be able to, Kate spoke up.

"Bella was blackmailed?" Kate said now sounding mad and impatient.

"Yes, but it was dealt with." Tanya said dismissively with a wave of her hand. "Would it be okay if I came over and made you dinner tonight, my love?" Tanya asked.

"I would love it, but my dad will be there. I don't think Charlie would appreciate having my math teacher over." I said with a smile.

"Of course not, but I somehow came across some information that he will have to work late tonight. I'm sure he'll leave you a note to let you know." Tanya said with a satisfied smirk.

"Stalking my dad?" I asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Of course, I don't stalk and if I did I would only stalk you. I happened to ran past your house on the way here to drop off something for you when I heard him talking on the phone." Tanya said.

"Drop off what?" I asked with suspicion clear in my voice.

The fact that she went into my home without permission was far from my mind with the fact that she got me something. Plus, I know that Tanya would never do anything to hurt my dad or mess with my stuff. I also don't really mind her stopping there whenever she wants, preferable when I'm there of course, for some reason it doesn't seem as creepy as when Edward would. I wonder if that's because I always want to be around Tanya?

"Go home and you'll find out, I promise you'll like it. So since your dad will be out late, can I come over in a couple hours?" Tanya asked, completely dodging my question but still sounding hopeful that I'll say yes.

"Of course." I answered; there was never a chance I would say no if Charlie wasn't going to be there.

Tanya pulled me into another kiss before pulling away completely.

"Thank you, no go home and do your homework, I'll be there in a couple hours, I'll text you when I head over." Tanya said with authority, so the words that came out of my mouth next couldn't be helped.

"Yes mom." I said sarcastically as I started to leave. When I passed Tanya, she leaned in to whisper into my ear.

"Trust me, the things I want to do to you would be the last thing any mother would want to hear about their child, much less do." Tanya whispered with a seductive purr.

Kate must have thought Tanya was no longer mad at her, so she full laughed at me that I'm sure if she could have her eyes watering. Not wanting to face Kate, or really Carmen after that comment, I just left with my head held high as my face looked like a ripe tomato.

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><p>When I got home the first thing I did was look for the note Tanya said Charlie should have left for me. I found it on the kitchen table. It said something about someone calling in sick and someone else on vacation and being short-handed at work so he had to go in. The next thing I did was go to my room where I'm sure Tanya left this present.<p>

When I opened the door to my room, nothing seemed different. After I took a few steps into my room, I found a note on my bed. Knowing that that had to be the 'gift' from Tanya, I went straight to it to read it.

_My eternal love,_

_I know you don't like receiving presents, I admire that for you. So knowing this, I regret to inform you that I have in fact gotten you a graduation present. _

_I am willing to offer you trade for you to accept my present. The terms are: I will not tell you what the present is until I see fit._

_What you receive in return for fully accepting my present without complaints: I will make sure Kate and Irina do not get you anything separate from our family gift to you, for graduation. Before you think about complaining about receiving a family gift, I feel it's more of a gift for me than you, so you will accept it._

_I will give you until I see you next to give me an answer; if you don't then I will assume you want as many gifts as we can buy for you._

_There will be no negotiations._

_With all my love,_

_Tanya_

She is sneaky. I can't not pick an option because then I'm sure they'll buy me a lot of stuff just to annoy me. Tanya's making sure that I pick her gift because that will give me only one thing. Not that I mind picking Tanya over Kate and Irina anyways because I bet their presents will somehow leave my face red. Will I get something from Carmen and Eleazar? Can't I get out that also? Tanya said no negotiations, so I guess it's either accept a lot of gifts from the whole family, or just the three.

Tanya's present it is.


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>A couple hours after I had read Tanya's note, she showed up at my door. She brought bags of food with her and went straight to the kitchen, but after she gave me a kiss hello of course though. She started cooking right away, and refused to let me help. She said she wants to cook this entire meal for me to show she's better than Carmen.<p>

So while she cooked I told her I accepted her offer to accept her gift, but she would tell me what it is. She said she wants to wait until after I ate to tell me. I may not want the gift, but since I already accepted it, I really want to know what it is; so I ate as fast as I could. Tanya had different plans though, she made sure to ask questions while I ate, so that since I had to answer it ended up taking me over an hour to finish eating. The whole time Tanya had a smirk on her face because she knows I really want to know what the gift is.

Finally after dinner, Tanya had the whole kitchen cleared up before I could even start to complain about her doing the cleaning. She didn't even eat anything and did all the cooking, I should have at least cleaned, but Tanya insisted. When that was all done, Tanya and I sat in the living room, which I appreciated.

With Edward, we would always go to my room to hang out whether Charlie was there or not, which at the time I was okay with. With Tanya, I like how she's being respectful of my privacy and staying in the living room not my personal space. She's waiting for me to invite her, instead of assuming I'm okay with it.

"So, what did I agree to?" I asked, trying my best not to sound nervous. Tanya's laughter told me I failed at it; though it did earn me a small kiss so I can live with this failure.

"You'll love it, I promise." Tanya said a bit smugly.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I thought a lot about it; actually most of my time went into thinking about it." Tanya told me as I leaned slightly forward in anticipation of her telling me. "If I wasn't spending time with you, hunting or barely trying to keep my job, I was thinking about this gift. I wanted to think of the best gift I could and I think I found it." Tanya said, sounding a little nervous, which is very rare for her.

"What is it?" I asked, actually getting a little excited about what it might be.

Tanya opened her mouth to answer, but then quickly shut her mouth again. Her face took on a suddenly sad look and it confused me. I thought we were having a good time.

"Charlie is driving down the street, I can hear his car. I'll have to go before he comes in." Tanya said.

I felt my face drop and the news also. I swear I love Charlie, but now he's getting in between me and spending time with my girlfriend. I'm not liking that at all.

"Can't you just hide in my room?" I asked with a bit of hope in my voice.

Edward did all the time, that's how we got to spend so much time together. I doubt Charlie would just let me hang out with my math teacher, though it would be nice.

"I'm not going to be a secret Bella." Tanya said with an authoritative voice that let me know she wasn't backing down on this.

The only thing is, is that I wasn't planning on having her be a secret. I just want to spend more time with her and I can't do that with Charlie here because he'll kick her out and probably try to get her in trouble. Stupid laws making students safe by not letting them hang out with the teachers outside of school. Didn't they ever think that one of their teachers might be a vampire and found their other half in a student and would want to spend time with them? I guess not, but they should have.

"I don't want you to be one." I said, trying to match her tone of voice, but I'm fairly positive I failed miserably at it.

"Your dad will know about us when the time is right. I'm not going to be hiding around in your room or sneaking around Charlie to be with you." I was about to bring up what she did tonight, but she beat me to the punch. "Tonight was a one-time exception because I needed to know what your answer was right away to get my plans in place." Tanya answered, sounding very sure of her-self.

"Really?" I asked, my voice thick with sarcasm. With all the money I'm guessing they have, just based off their house, the items in said house and the cars I've seen, they probably have as much money as the Cullen's if not more. I mean they make Carlisle look like a kid with how old they are, they were bound to pick up and keep and eventually sell some artifacts.

"Okay, fine. I'm allowed at least one moment of weakness aren't I?" Tanya said a bit sheepishly.

This was the time I heard Charlie pulling up into the driveway.

"I'll leave out your window, Charlie won't know I was ever here." Tanya said as she stood up.

I followed her actions and stood with her. I pulled her into a quick embrace and leant in very close. I was a breath away from kissing her and it seemed Tanya was about to move in for the contact, but I spoke before she could.

"What are you getting me?" I asked with a smirk.

She gave a quick kiss before answering me.

"First, you're horrible at teasing and I find that you leave no choice but to give you better examples. Secondly, when you weren't looking I left a clue for you on your bed. I'm sure you can figure it out." Tanya said. She pulled me in for another quick kiss, and then disappeared from sight as I heard the front door open.

"I'm home Bells, sorry I had to work late." Charlie said as he came into the house.

The little jerk face. She can't make a big deal about picking out the perfect gift and acting nervous about me liking it and then not tell me! That's got to be against some sort of rule someplace. If it wasn't for the fact that I didn't want to seem rude to Charlie, since he has no idea what he just ruined, which I'm still not sure I'm not mad at him for yet, there's no reason to take it out on him.

"It's no problem Dad. Anything exciting happen?" I asked, silently hoping for a quick conversation and I'm pretty sure I know just how to make sure it is.

"Not at all, just needed to make sure enough people were there in case there was." Charlie said as he dropped his gear in its' normal spot.

"That's good that nothing bad happened. Did you eat yet?" I asked.

It was well after dinner time, but knowing Charlie he probably ate as soon as he found out he had to work and was hungry again. He'll lie and say he didn't eat and that he'll either order out or eat any left overs in the fridge. Sure enough, before he answered, I heard the fridge open from my still standing position in the living room.

"Not yet, I think I'll order something. Did you want anything?" Charlie asked.

Smart man Charlie; see what your options are before making a decision. I guess what's in the fridge doesn't interest him at all… for now.

"No thank you, I ate already. I actually I'm just going to go to my room and finish my homework then I'll just go to sleep." I said.

I did most of my homework before Tanya came over, but there is still a little left that will take all of fifteen minutes if that, I could even do it tomorrow if I was feeling really lazy. I'm only saying this so that I can have the perfectly normal escape to my room to see what clue Tanya left.

"Okay kiddo, have a good sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." Charlie said as he grabbed the phone to order food.

"Thanks dad, you to." I said as I walked as calmly and normally I could while I tried to get to my room as quickly as I could.

I think this might be the first time I've ever been really excited about getting a gift. I was never this excited about getting something from Edward even after he told me all about how much thought he put into his gifts. Yet the moment Tanya said she put a little effort into this gift, I find I really want it.

Lying peacefully on my bed was a folded paper tied to elegant looking rose. How does Tanya sneak this stuff past me? I grabbed the rose and smelled it, as I expected, it smelled like Tanya, which is amazing. I kept sniffing the flower as I read the front of the note. It simply read: _'Sorry, remember I love you'_

Because that doesn't make me nervous at all. I quickly opened the note and read what she wrote.

_I often find that the best gifts are received when either they are unexpected or have been long anticipated for. Since you are already aware that I'm giving you a gift, the only hint I can give you is this:_

_Surprise_

_With all my love;_

_Tanya_

"Ugh!" I yelled at my empty room.

After explaining to Charlie I yelled because I accidently stubbed my toe and nothing more or less, I did all my bed time rituals and eventually went to bed. If it wasn't the fact that I know Tanya was only doing this so that I can enjoy the gift more when I get not to be mean, I would have gone to bed mad. But how can someone go to bed while being made at Tanya? I believe, no I know that's impossible, it just can't happen.

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><p>I woke up to my alarm the next day. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I had forgotten all last night about what Irina had done for me, which I'm not sure if I should thank her just yet. I'm curious to see if Sarah shows up to school or not, and if she does how will she act around me?<p>

Just like every morning I had school, I lazily got ready, not really afraid that I'll be late. I mean, the school year is almost over, even if I fail my finals I'll still pass. Granted, I won't have the best grades, but I'll still pass. I have The Cullen's leaving me to thank for that. If wasn't for that I wouldn't have been such a zombie only doing school work that I wouldn't have as good of grades I do now so if I wanted to, I can slack off. Not that I will, but the option's there and that's what counts.

I parked in my usual area. The spot I would prefer was already taken, but I didn't park too far from it. I easily spotted my group standing around a randomly placed bench. I slowly made my way over to them, trying to calm my own nerves. Zach and Grace weren't avoiding looking at me anymore, almost like they have forgotten the whole thing about them ratting me out to Sarah.

Sarah, she looked scared and nervous, but she was putting up a good front. I don't think I would be able to tell if I wasn't looking for it. I could just barely tell she kept looking at from the corner of her eye. She randomly would look around, almost like she was expecting someone to show up from thin air. She seemed like she was trying her best not to seem jumpy.

Now I just have to see if Irina's threat, or whatever she actually did, worked. I only know way to test it, so here goes nothing.

"Sarah, did you finish your math homework?" I asked during a lull in conversation.

It's not a very out of the ordinary question. It's been asked plenty of times given that the sexy teacher happens to be very strict with the homework policy. Trust I know firsthand. This also kept up the pretense that I was still under the impression that she was blackmailing me and the others don't know about it. It's the perfect set up to see if Irina worked.

"Um, y-ya, I did. Thank you." Sarah said. She started off stuttering and nervous sounding, at the end she sounded like it was the vile thing she could have said. I didn't think thanking someone would be that hard, but Sarah just proved me wrong.

It took all my will power to not give a victorious grin at her answer. Instead I just nodded, gave a small confused look that she ignored. I still had to keep her thinking that I had no idea that a vampire threatened her after all and. Then I joined into another conversation that had started up.

I think these last few weeks of school won't be that bad now that I don't have to worry about Sarah being an ass and I get to see Tanya on a daily basis.

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><p><strong>AN: Just so you all know: the Cullen's will be making their appearance, sort of, in a couple chapters or so.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

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><p>"So, how many tickets are you getting?" Charlie asked.<p>

Graduation was in a couple days and he was just now trying to get everything finalized. I would have done it myself a long time ago, but I keep getting distracted. I spend all my free time, when I'm not at school or at work, with Tanya and even when I'm at those places chances are she's there. I've been trying my hardest to get Tanya to tell me what the gift she's giving me is; but she won't budge. I even tried 'seducing' it out of her. That night only proved that Tanya is a lot more experienced than I am because someone she ended up with me giving in to stop bugging her about the gift for a day. Needless to say, I still don't know what it is.

"I have a total of ten tickets." I answered.

We decided since Renee and Phil are coming in tomorrow, we might as well have all this planned out; not that there's really anything to plan, but whatever. I haven't been here long enough to really have any friends to throw a party, not that I would in the first. The people I had considered friends, Grace and Zach, are still on my ignore list from telling Sarah. I eventually found out that they didn't do it on purpose, Zach just let in slip from some fancy word play from Sarah; Grace talked because apparently what Zach said in all his blundering brilliance, made it seem worse than it was. So I can say I forgive them, but I'm still mad.

So since I'm somewhat 'friendless' again, I'm not going to any graduation party or having one myself. That doesn't mean though that I have to coordinate rides and sleeping locations for the few people that will be coming here.

"We only need five right?" Charlie asked.

This was the part of the night I was dreading. Since I have enough tickets, Tanya was more than willing to invite her family to my graduation. It's not that I don't want them to go, because I really do want them there, but how do I explain that to Charlie without his cop senses going off? How can I explain that I want my boss of less than two months, who is my teachers' sister, and her family to go to my graduation?

"Um, actually I need more than that." I said hesitantly.

He looked at me from his spot in the living room, giving me his full attention.

"There's me, Billy, Jacob, Renee and Phil. Who else are you inviting? I thought you said all your friends from Forks couldn't come?" Charlie asked.

"Right, they can't. I asked my boss, Kate, and her family to come. Since I work their practically every day, I've gotten really close to them. They really want to go." I said; the last part sounding almost like I was pleading with him; which I guess I am because I don't want him to say no. Although, if he does say no, I could always just give the Denali's the tickets anyways, they are mine to give anyways right?

"Well, they are your tickets and your graduation." Charlie said hesitantly while scratching the back of his neck.

I can easily tell that he's not really okay with this. I mean really, who would let their kid invite a family they've known for two seconds to such an important event. Charlie is earning to amazing kudo points right now. I just hope he's this easy going when I tell him about me and Tanya.

"Thanks Dad." I said as I got and went to him to give him a hug. I couldn't help but show him affection; he's allowing my new family to come watch me graduate, that's a huge thing; even if he doesn't know it.

"Sure thing Bells." Charlie said as he awkwardly returned my hug.

"I'm going to go make dinner." I said as I head off into the kitchen.

Deciding to make his favorite tonight, again just to show my appreciation, I started right away to get everything prepared to start cooking. Charlie followed me into the kitchen and continued to ask questions about graduation as I cooked.

"When does your mom get in again?" Charlie asked as he leaned against the wall.

"Tomorrow." I answered.

She wanted to come in earlier, instead of the day before graduation, but with Phil's schedule tomorrow was the soonest she could get and then she has to leave the day after graduation.

"Billy and Jake will get here in the morning, they'll be leaving the airport as I arrive to pick up mom and Phil." I added; those were probably his next questions.

"They're leaving before your mom right?" Charlie asked.

"Right, a couple hours before actually, really early in the morning." I answered.

Billy and Jake have been invited to my graduation since I came back to Forks to live with Charlie; us moving to a different state only changed locations of the ceremony. So as soon as Charlie had an actual date for the graduation, he called Billy up and invited them. They couldn't be gone long since Jake will have to miss school to go and mostly because of the costs of coming here, but at least their coming. I was actually surprised Billy agreed to come; I honestly thought he was still mad at me for dating a vampire. I guess he got over it when I got dumped; though I'm not really sure because I never hung out around him when I was there.

"You're giving those two a ride and your mom and Phil are renting a car right?" Charlie asked to confirm.

"That's the plan." I answered.

"That truck of yours doesn't have that much room for everyone, I'll play chauffer and you can stay here and enjoy your last few days of being a high school student." Charlie said.

This district allows seniors to 'skip' the last two days of our school year to prepare for graduation. We also get out a week earlier than the others. I don't know why they do that, but I'm not complaining. It's a lot better than senior ditch day; we get two days, so it's twice as better.

I was planning on spending the first half of my day with family and friends here, then the latter half going to the Denali's house. Actually, I will be going to Kate's shop and from there someone will drive me to their house since I have yet to not get lost when I drive myself to their house. I was going to wait until Tanya got off, thinking it wouldn't be too much after the students got let out, but then I learned because of the graduation, teachers apparently have a few last minute things they have to get done. So Tanya won't get home until earlier evening, so I'll be spending time with her, no our, family while I wait for her to get home.

"You sure? I wouldn't mind." I said.

I have nothing else to do since Tanya is at work, I guess I could always go to Kate's bookstore and read some books. If Kate is there I'm guaranteed to get entertained while I wait for Tanya and that'll make time go by a lot faster.

"Course not Bells. I'm sure you want to hang out with your friends or something more than driving back and forth. Plus you'll have plenty of time to visit during lunch." Charlie said, referring to a late lunch we all agreed to go to. It takes place at two, as long as the plane is on time, so does that really count as lunch or as linner, a cross between lunch and dinner?

"Thanks, Dad, I really appreciate it." I said while making eye contact with him and with as much meaning in my voice as I could.

In return he blushed slightly and mumbled something about going to watch T.V. and to call him when dinner's ready.

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><p>I woke up on my own, without an alarm clock and it felt so much better than hearing an alarm blaring in my ear. I would have woken up earlier, but since I have nothing to do with my day until lunch, I decided I could sleep in for a little at least.<p>

I'll be having a late lunch though, so do I want to eat now, or wait until then? I think I'll eat then, this way I can have more time to do something. Now I just have to figure out what to do.

As I thought over my options, I went about my normal routine of getting ready for the day. By the time I got out of the shower and was dressed and ready to go do something, I had a text on my phone.

_Come to the store, I'm bored –K_

If it wasn't for the fact she just cured my own boredom I would have been slightly annoyed by her rudeness. Although, I should really just expect this from Kate, she's not really one for texting. She only texts the bare minimum; if I hadn't yelled at her a couple weeks ago she probably wouldn't have even given me a reason to go to the store.

About fifteen minutes later I parked outside the store and made my way inside. Kate and Eleazar were the only ones I could see and both were sitting at the front counter seemingly having a stare off. I walked over to them and leaned against the counter, I'm not sure what they're doing, but I don't want to interrupt. Luckily I didn't have to wait long before Kate explained what they are doing.

"I told Eleazar that it possible for vampires to have staring contests that didn't last forever. It's all about being able to distract the opposing player. Right Bella?" Kate asked as she kept her eyes locked with Bella.

"I guess. I'm a little surprised she got you to agree to this Eleazar." I told him.

"No matter how much patience someone has, no one can ignore Kate for long. It seemed harmless, and we did set a time limit of how long this can go on. So I decided to indulge her this time." Eleazar said.

"Any plans for today, or you just gonna hang with us all day?" Kate asked and she leaned slightly against the counter, just a little closer to me.

"I'm actually going to have a late lunch with some family and friends from Forks. Then I'm coming back here to go to your place." I answered.

"Thanks for helping me Bella." Kate said.

I didn't even have time to get a confused look to form on my face before Kate poked my shoulder and zapped me. It was a little stronger than what she's used in the past, so I yelped a little and jumped up and away from Kate. Eleazar was quick to move to my side to make sure I didn't fall, which I would have if he wasn't there to balance me out.

"That was uncalled for Kate." Eleazar said in a disapproving voice.

"Oh relax Eleazar; Bella knows I do that because I love her. Plus, you're just mad that you lost." Kate joked. "You are okay though right Bella? It wasn't too strong?" Kate asked.

"Ya, I'm fine. You just caught me off guard; though that isn't really different from any other time you've shocked me." I told her.

"What time do you have meet your family?" Kate asked as she not so subtly gave me her chair to sit in and she took my place of leaning against the counter.

"Around one thirty." I answered.

"You still have a couple hours until then. What do you plan to do until then?" Eleazar asked.

"I think I'll ready, since Kate dragged me down here. Is that okay?" I asked since it's technically not my store.

With Kate's approval I picked a book then made my way to her office to sit in her comfy chair and read until I have to leave. I haven't seen Renee in a long time and I haven't been talking to her as much lately, I'm sure she's going to chalk full of gossip when I get there. I'm going to have mentally prepare myself to handle her. Reading for a couple hours in a comfortable setting should do just the trick.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter: Bella will find out what her gift is from Tanya; graduation and I'm still deciding if I want Bella to tell Renee and Charlie about her and Tanya or put it off a little longer. Though it does seem kind of good timing since she'll no longer be in school and she'll get to tell them in person, which I think is best given this scenario; but I'm still not sure.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>"So, even when you're not working, you're at that store?" Renee asked for what seemed like the millionth time.<p>

Lunch was over hours ago and it was actually getting close to being dinner time. Charlie had returned with Billy and Jake just in time for lunch to start. Billy and Charlie both acted like they hadn't seen each other in years. They goofed off more than I thought possible for the two adults.

I was stuck with Renee's interrogation, I mean conversation, while Phil just sat next to her and gave me an apologetic smile. When Jake got there he tried to rescue me, but no one is safe from Renee's talking skills. She ended up roping both of us into talking about today's youth and what they do for fun. Apparently to Renee, the kids from Forks are different from the ones in Denali so naturally we all do very different things to cure boredom. She was actually a little sad to learn we do the same things.

During lunch I was saved a little from Renee when she turned her attention to Charlie and Billy. I don't know what they were talking about because I was in my conversation with Jake and Phil. Okay, I was actually just listening to them since they were talking about sports the whole time, but I needed a little break from Renee, so sue me.

"Ya, they've been really nice to me. I like to consider them really close friends." I told Renee.

After lunch, which was served in Charlie's backyard, we all just sat and talked some more. Eventually it came up that the Denali's were going to watch me walk tomorrow. Since that was said, thanks Charlie, Renee, Jacob and Billy seemed really interested in what I had to say about them. From the disapproving looks Billy was giving and the apologetic ones Jake was giving me, I'm guessing Billy found about what the Denali's are.

"That's where you're going after this right? To have dinner with them?" Phil asked as he joined in the conversation.

"Ya." I answered.

Renee was originally a little put off that I was so willing to ditch her when she traveled this far to see me to go someplace else for the evening. When Charlie told her it was to hang out with friends, she wasn't upset. I'm thinking she's still thinking of the time the Cullen's had left me and how I acted and basically lost all my friends, so now she's more than happy to let me go off with them.

"Are you going to have a celebration with them?" Renee asked.

I'm actually not really sure if I am or not. It's never really came up. I know for a fact that Tanya isn't giving me her gift until tomorrow, same with the rest of the family, I think I'll be going over there. I just assumed I was, but I never actually asked. I probably should when I see them later today.

"I think I might; after we celebrate here of course." I said.

The ceremony was in the morning. So by noon we would be back here and Renee wanted to throw a little party. I think the only difference from where we're doing now to what Renee has planned for tomorrow is that there'll be decorations of some sort and I get gifts… even though I specifically said I didn't want any.

"So, have you met any of them Charlie?" Billy asked, his tone holding a slight amount of disapproval in it.

"Not yet, I haven't had a reason to." Charlie answered, seemingly catching on to Billy's tone.

"Charlie trusts me to work and hang out with good people." I said, trying my best not to sound rude to Billy but I think I failed since Renee gave me a look that screamed 'be nice'. "I actually think I'm going to go now, I was supposed to be there a while ago, but I wanted to spend some more time here. So I'll see you guys later tonight okay?" I said as I stood up.

No offense to Billy, he is my dad's best friend and my best friends dad, but I really don't want to hear start to bad mouth the Denali's; especially since he hasn't even met him. I don't know if I can stop myself from saying anything rude to Billy if he says anything bad about the Denali's. I know I won't be able to if he says something bad about Tanya though, I won't let him. I did the best I could with Sarah because she could have gotten me in trouble with school, but with Billy, I know he wouldn't retaliate because of Charlie, if I did anything because of something he says.

"Of course, let them know we're sorry about keeping you for so long." Phil said.

"It's not a problem, you guys are all, if not practically, family. I know they won't mind." I said; the last part more directed at Billy than anyone else.

"Do you know what time you'll be home Bells?" Charlie asked.

"I'm not sure, not too late though I promise." I said as I walked inside.

Irina was the one to pick me up from the store. She said that once we got back to their house that Tanya should be just arriving. The ride was silent for the most part. Irina asked a few questions about the get together earlier, but I knew that most of the questions that they had, mainly about if Jake behaved himself, would wait until Tanya was there.

Before I could even open the door when we got to the Denali's house, it was already opened and Tanya had me in her arms giving me a very nice hello kiss. I instantly wrapped my arms around her neck and was more than happy to continue kissing her for the rest of my visit here. Apparently Kate didn't seem to think the same thing because she shouted that if we weren't in the house in a couple minutes she would ruin Tanya's surprise for me. Personally, I would have been okay with that because I really want to know what Tanya is getting me, but Tanya wasn't, so we went inside.

Dinner was nice. I'm so used to having Edward just absolutely staring at me while I eat, I guess because he's just so fascinated by it thought I couldn't guess why since he did the same thing at one point, that I was a little thrown off when Tanya didn't. Naturally she kept me company while I ate so I didn't eat alone, but she had a normal conversation with me and didn't once look like eating was either the most disgusting thing she's seen or the most amazing thing. It was nice to have a meal with a vampire and not feel like I'm on the spot.

"So, do I need to beat up Jacob?" Tanya asked when we were all finally in the living room after I had finished eating.

I don't think Tanya knows the meaning of 'beating around the bush'. I actually like that she doesn't do that, it got really annoying with Edward; especially when I would ask him something vampire related.

"No, he was really nice. He actually saved me from having to listen to my mom go on and on for hours about nothing." I answered.

"So, no hot dogs?" Kate asked with a smirk.

I could help but smile at her lame attempt at a joke. This was by far not one of her best, but her reference to her ability to basically cook people and Jake's canine heritage was slightly amusing.

"I'm not a fan of hot dogs." I said.

I meant that I'm not a fan of her electrocuting my were-wolf friend, but Tanya had another meaning for it.

"So you prefer tacos? Me to." Tanya said and then proceeded to lick her lips and making me blush.

"Was your mom okay with us having use of your left over tickets?" Eleazar asked, thankfully changing the subject.

I snuggled a little more into Tanya before I answered the question. I know there was a real reason for them wanting me to come over tonight besides just having dinner, so I'm thinking Eleazar might be getting there.

"Ya, she was. Both my folks don't really mind since you guys are my friends. Though I would probably recommend not sitting next to them." I said.

"Why not?" Irina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well," I started with a sigh. I know I have to explain this, but I don't want to. Billy really is a good guy, just really… well; I like to say he's really just afraid of vampires. "Jake's dad, Billy, he's part of the tribe's council, the leader actually." I said.

"Let me guess, all of Jacobs hate comes from this Billy?" Tanya asked.

"Well, sort of. It's actually the tribe's legends. I don't really want to go into them too much, because they're not mine to tell and they tend to keep the legends secret. But, basically, a long time ago the tribe ran into a couple vampires that hunted from their tribe. That's actually how they got the power to change into giant wolves. Anyways, since that time, the stories of the 'cold ones' were passed down and the tribe has always been taught to hate vampires." I explained.

The whole tribe was taught since basically birth to hate vampires; the fact that most of the tribe believed vampires weren't real, they were still taught it. There were taught about a very real threat, something that really did devastate their tribe at one point in history and could very realistically happen again. So I understand why Billy hates vampires, really I do. The problem though, is that not all vampires are human drinkers. Just like not all humans are meat eaters, some are strictly vegetarians and eat no meat; it's basically the same thing with vampires. Billy, or really just the whole pack, needs to understand that gold eyes mean they are safe. If a vampire has golden eyes that aren't diluted with red, it means that they really have changed to animal blood and most likely won't kill. I can't say for fact they won't because just like with humans, nothing is guaranteed that one won't kill.

"So they are raised to hate us?" Carmen asked.

"Basically." I answered.

"Then how do the Cullen's have a treaty with them if they hate us all?" Kate asked.

"If I remember from when Jake told me the legends, the tribe made the treaty because the Cullen's out-numbered how many wolves they had at the time. Carlisle was smart enough to make the treaty indefinite or else I'm sure the current tribe leaders wouldn't create a treaty with them." I told them.

I'm fairly certain that if the tribe leaders, the pack also, thought that if they could get away without losing anyone on their side they might fight the Cullen's. Well, maybe not all the pack, but I know for sure some would have absolutely no problem fighting with the Cullen's.

"Well, we'll just make sure not to sit next to him. There's no reason for us to anyways. We're there for you alone, not to meet your family." Irina said.

"At least not yet." Kate said with a wink.

They are all aware that I eventually will tell Charlie and Renee about me going out with Tanya; I just don't know when I will. I'm thinking I might do so now, since Renee is here and I think telling them something like this in person might be better than doing so over the phone.

"Which is actually something I wanted to talk about with you later, but when we have slightly more privacy since really it's none of their concerns about when you tell your family about us." Tanya said.

"Well, I'm hurt Tanya. We're your family; of course we would want to know when Bella decides to come out of the closet." Kate said with a small smirk.

"No, you only wanted to know so that you can make sure to tease the day before she does so. I heard you go over your jokes about it and honestly Kate, you seem to be losing your touch." Irina said.

"What we actually wanted to talk to you about, or actually really it's just a more formal invitation than anything, is about what your plans for tomorrow after the ceremony are. We understand that spending time with your family is a priority, but we wanted to know if that would take up the whole day." Carmen asked before Kate could respond to Irina.

I actually think Kate did respond to Irina, just too fast for me to understand, because Irina was suddenly glaring at Kate and I can feel Tanya giggling next to me. Eleazar and Carmen both had their attention on me like nothing happened, so I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I'm fairly positive Kate just got Irina back somehow.

"Well, after the ceremony I'm going back to my house and Renee is having a small party there. It's nothing different from what I went to today, it's just that's when they'll give me their gifts." I said, adding a frown to my face at the last part.

"I still can't believe you don't like getting gifts, I personally love them." Kate said.

"She only loves them because the only gifts she gets are the ones she buys herself." Irina said, almost too low for me to hear.

"If you wouldn't mind, we would like to have you over for some more gifts." Eleazar said.

I would have argued about the fact that they don't have to get me anything. But I remember Tanya's deal. She said that Kate and Irina wouldn't get me anything; she never said anything about Eleazar and Carmen. So since I accepted the deal I can't complain.

"Sure I can, I don't know what time though I can come over." I said.

"It's no problem, just text me when you leave for the bookstore and I'll meet you there." Tanya said.

"It's not like you were on time today anyways. If we didn't mind you being late today, why would we mind you being late tomorrow?" Irina asked. I'm not really sure if she was making a snide remark about me being late today, or really just letting me know it didn't matter. I chose the safe option of ignoring what she said.

"Okay, I can do that." I said.

"Now that that's all settled, you guys can leave at least the room please while I talk with Bella." Tanya said.

They all left in a matter of seconds and I could have sworn I heard Irina yelling at Kate about something about wanting to kill her or something. Tanya's silent laughter just confirmed that Kate just dug herself a hole with Irina.

"So, both your parents are in town now. Are you going to tell them about us now?" Tanya asked as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to her.

I rested my head on her and she put her head on top my mine. For normal couples, this wouldn't be a problem. But seeing as my girlfriend is not only a girl, but also my almost former teacher and also older, not including her vampire age, it makes 'coming out' to my parents a little harder. I obviously won't be telling them she's a vampire, that whole it's against vampire law and whatnot, I can't really do that and I wouldn't ask Tanya and the family to break the law.

"I'm not really sure. I know I will at some point, I'm just not sure if I should tell them now or not. I want to, because I don't want to keep our relationship a secret. I also want to tell Renee in person and not over the phone. What do you think?" I asked her.

"Well, I agree with all that you've said. I would love for you tell your family so that I don't seem like some dirty secret anymore with you. I would also like to not have to avoid Charlie when we're spending time together. I don't want someone to see us and the gossip about it get back to Charlie and he find out that way. We got very lucky with Sarah that she was the only that was told and she didn't tell anyone else.

I also believe that you should tell your mom in person about us. With a serious conversation like the one you will have, it would show respect on your side to talk to her in person. It's not every day that someone tells their parents that they are in a serious relationship with their former teacher.

With that said though, I am technically your former teacher. It's against human law for me to go out with you. If you were to tell your parents now, I'm sure at least Charlie would be able to figure out that his daughter didn't just get into a serious relationship over-night. Even with our bond, it still took me time to get you to be mine, so there's no way a regular human would have gotten you in less time.

Ultimately, it's your choice. I will stand by whatever you decide. If you tell them later and want to fly out to tell Renee, then I'll fly with you if you want. If you want to tell them now and Charlie figures it out and they get mad, then I'll hide so only you can find me. Either way, it's no big deal to me." Tanya said.

Tanya's last point, about Charlie figuring out that I was with Tanya before I graduated; I know Charlie won't be okay with that. What parent would be? I don't want to cause Tanya any hassle than necessary and I don't to make her hide just because I couldn't wait.

"I'll wait; but only because I don't want to cause any un-needed drama." I told her.

"I appreciate that, but your choice does slightly make my present for a little more difficult to execute." Tanya said.

Now we're getting to the part of the night that I really wanted to get to.

"How so?" I asked. I don't want to just straight out ask and seem rude.

"You'll find out tomorrow. But it is late, so unless you want to spend the night, I'll have to get you home, or at least to the store to drive home." Tanya said with a smirk, she knows I want to know and she's purposefully not telling me.

"You should spend the night!" Kate said excitedly as she appeared in the living room, wearing a new outfit I might add.

"From what I understand, you tend to speak your mind when you sleep." Irina said as she appeared sitting in an arm chair, also in a new outfit. I so want to know what those two did and how Kate deserved what Irina did to her, but I get the feeling I probably won't ever know. But I also get the feeling that this happens all the time so I'll see this happen again.

"I think, I should probably go home, since everyone is expecting me back." I said as I fought off a blush.

How would they know I talk in my sleep though? I haven't slept around them. I know for a fact I haven't fallen asleep in Tanya's class, she always has a hundred percent of my attention. How would th-, oh, when I slept in the hotel room with Tanya. She even mentioned it to me, but the issue with Jake; she never got around to telling me what I said.

"Then let me drive you back to the store." Tanya said.

I said my short goodbyes to the others, Kate mentioning that she's looking forward to when she can hear all the interesting things I say in my sleep and Irina telling me that it will be good ammunition for them, I left. Luckily Eleazar and Carmen were nice enough to not mention anything.

"So, what did I say?" I asked when we were in the car and I felt we were a safe enough distance for the others not to hear.

"Most of what you said was completely gibberish." Tanya said with a smirk.

She's not going to tell me, I know that smirk. Just like with the present she's going to hold this over my head until she finally decides to tell me.

"Come on Tanya, I haven't bugged you that much about the present, at least tell me what I said." I practically begged.

"No need to beg love, I'll tell you." Tanya said as she parked the car.

Wow, we got here faster than I thought. I guess I waited longer than I thought to start talking and/or Tanya drove faster than I realized. Once the car was off, Tanya had my door opened for me to get out. She parked right next to my truck, so instead of walking to my truck, I instead wrapped my arms around Tanya's neck and leaned in close.

"Tell me please." I asked.

Tanya wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me closer. I love this about her, where Edward at times seemed to not be able to stand to be near me because of my scent, Tanya can't get enough. Whenever she can she has her hands on me. If we can we are always kissing and touching. Where Edward wasn't strong enough to be close to me like I had wanted, Tanya isn't strong enough to stay, just like I want.

Her lips attacked mine as soon as she pulled me into her body. My eyes closed instantly from the intensity of the kiss. Every kiss with Tanya seems to get better and better, I don't think I'll ever grow tired of Tanya being mine.

Once again, Tanya was the one to pull away to allow me to breath and rested her forehead against mine.

"You said I'm better than Edward ever was. That's why even when you distanced yourself, I knew that at least subconsciously, you were mine. It just took you longer than preferred to realize it, but you did and that's what matters." Tanya said.

"You are so much better than Edward, at everything." I told her.

She grinned at me and gave me another kiss. This kiss lasted just as long as the other, but it seemed to hold more meaning to it. It seemed as if Tanya was trying to me how much she loved me through the kiss.

It took a little longer than usual for me to get into my truck and leave, Tanya is just really distracting. When I attempted to fight off a yawn though, Tanya made me leave. So I watched her disappear as she watched me drive away.

When I got home, everyone was asleep already since it was already late. Billy and Jake were staying with us to save on money and Renee and Phil got a hotel room since Charlie's house isn't big enough to hold any more people. The boys were already sleeping in the living room on the furniture, so the only place left would have been the floor. There's no way Renee would have been okay with that. I went straight to bed after setting my alarm. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

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><p>The ceremony was nice. The speeches weren't as long as I thought they were going to be, but they were just as boring as I expected. The Denali's showed up after I did so when I separated from my family to go get my spot in line for the graduate's entrance, I was able to say hello to them real quick. Tanya was in the back with the graduates to help get us all in order, so I was able to talk to her a little before the ceremony started.<p>

While we were all waiting to make our way into the hall where the ceremony was, we stood in lines in alphabetical order. The teachers kept walking down the lines of students to make sure we stayed in our right spots and didn't do anything stupid. Tanya naturally went down my line and I thought with all the times her hand 'accidently' swiped or grabbed my butt, someone would have noticed, but no one did. They may not have noticed Tanya's hands, but they sure all noticed my face and thought I was just really nervous for having to walk in front of people and probably trip down the stairs from the stage.

I'll have you all know that I didn't once trip while on stage or on the stairs. I tripped right before I got the stairs to go up onto the stage and as I walked down my row to get to my seat after I walked. I'm very happy that my clumsiness didn't ruin my walk.

After the ceremony, I went to the Denali's first and after they all told me congratulations, I told them I would call Tanya when I was leaving my house to go see them. After that I went to my family. Billy was sending a glare towards where I had left the Denali's, but he was nice enough to not mention anything to me. Jake didn't even say anything or give any indication that he knew vampires were there, hopefully this means that he's really okay with me being friends with them.

It took us almost an hour to get home because of all the traffic from everyone and their families leaving the parking lots. Then the streets themselves were also way over crowded. When we did get home, I made sure to make a big deal out the decorations Renee had put after I had left for the ceremony. I had to be there before everyone else, so Charlie, Jake and Billy went early with me and Renee and Phil came later.

We had a nice meal, all my favorites, that Phil and Billy cooked since no one trusted Charlie or Renee in the kitchen. After that I opened my gifts from everyone. Jake and Billy got me a part for my truck that it apparently really needed and made sure to have Charlie promise to put it in later. Renee and Phil got me some gift cards saying that what I decided to do now, whether college or career, I would need money to decorate a new apartment or a dorm room so they wanted to help. Charlie went with that idea also and got me gift cards as well for stuff for whatever I decided to do.

After the gifts, the conversation turned to what I planned on doing. Luckily I had already talked about this with Tanya and she gave me the perfect thing to tell them. Since I haven't applied to any colleges; not that my family knows that, I decided to just take some time off from school and travel. I told them this, and Renee seemed a little disappointed that I wasn't going straight to college, but both Phil and Charlie said it was fine. They said this way I would be able to go to college and know what I wanted to do and not waste money while I'm there and still deciding. Billy and Jake seemed indifferent and would probably have been happy with whatever I had decided.

I ended staying there much longer than I had wanted. I stayed so late that I had dinner, pizza of course, before I left for the bookstore. Tanya seemed really excited when I called her. When I arrived at the bookstore, she was already there waiting for me. She got in the passenger seat as soon as I unlocked the door for her. If it wasn't for her pointing out exactly where I needed to turn and telling me exactly when, I would have taken forever to get to the Denali home. When we did get there, Tanya was quick to get me into the living room.

The living was decked out in more graduation decorations. They also had a small individual cake that said congratulations on it for me. I was really touched about the effort they went through for me.

"Now it's time for presents." Kate said excitedly when I put down the fork after eating the last piece of the small cake.

I leaned back into my seat next to Tanya and cuddled up next to her.

"Okay, bring them on." I said, making sure my tone showed that I really didn't them.

"The first gift is from us." Carmen said, gesturing to her and Eleazar, as she handed me an envelope.

The last time I opened something in front of a bunch of vampires, I lost them all from a stupid paper cut. It seems that fate really has it out for me. Just like last time, this time I also got a paper cut. I couldn't say anything, I could only look around the room and wait for their reactions. Besides from their eyes darkening a little, nothing else happened.

"Why do you look so scared love, it's just a paper cut, you are okay right?" Tanya asked when she noticed my face. I must have looked like I was terrified, since well, I am.

"Well, the last time…" I said, trailing off while slightly lifting my figure and the slight gleam of red on it. It wasn't as bad as last time, it wasn't deep enough to drip, but it was still there.

"They are young and don't have as much control as we do. I told you already, you aren't at any risk here. Why don't you continue to open your gift sweetie, I promise you, your fine as are we." Tanya said then gave me a small kiss to try and calm me down. It worked, I calmed down and put the fear of them leaving out of my head, if they haven't reacted yet, they won't.

I finished opened the gift and read the letter Carmen and Eleazar gave me.

_Bella;_

_As a member of this family, it is only fair that you are treated as such. Though we are all sure Tanya wouldn't mind sharing hers', we want you to have a room of your own here. There are several extra rooms in this house, you may pick one and have it as your own. This room can be decorated any way you want and if you really want to, can be remodeled. _

_The key inside this envelope is the key for this house. Though we rarely keep it lock and have no actual need for a lock since it would do nothing to keep us out, we still have one. Since you are family and have a room within this house, you now also have a key for this house to come and go whenever you want._

_I'm sure Tanya will give you tour of the house later for you to decide which room will be yours. Once again, congratulations._

_Eleazar and Carmen_

After reading the letter, I pulled out the key from the envelope and shoved it into my pocket as I stood up. I felt my eyes getting slightly teary as I walked to them. Not even the Cullen's had given me a useless key to their house. I gave both of them a hug and told them thank you. I can definitely live with this gift.

I sat back down next to Tanya and she pulled me into a kiss.

"I think we should just skip looking at the other rooms and move you into my own room." Tanya said when she pulled away.

I chose not to answer and instead only blushed. I know that at some point I will move into her room, but for now I want my own room.

"Now, it's Tanya's turn." Kate said, sounding even more excited.

"Since we were banned from getting you anything." Irina said with a hint of irritation in her voice that made me smirk at her.

"Since the only places you have been to have been Arizona, Washington and Alaska, I want to take you someplace that from what I hear from people that have been everyone needs to go at least once, I want to take you to Disneyland. For one week, it will be just you and me at the happiest place on Earth." Tanya said with a giant grin.

That wasn't at all what I had thought she would have gotten me. Though to be honest, I really had no idea what she was going to get me. I have never been to Disneyland before and I've heard its fun. If it's planned right, and Tanya wears the right cloths, we can go now and she'll never be in the sun. I'm actually a little excited about it.

"Thank you Tanya, I've never been. I can't wait." I said excitedly while giving her a hug and of course a kiss.

"Good because we leave in three days." Tanya said.

Great, now I have to pack.

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><p><strong>AN: So, I hope Tanya's gift is okay with everyone. I actually had something else in mind, but then I decided it was a little too early for what I had planned, so I'll just use the idea later.**

**The next chapter will not be about them having fun in Disneyland. I refuse to write about that. I personally don't like reading about when people go on trips in other stories, unless it actually ties in with the actual plot and is not at all a filler, so I won't write about it. To me it would just be a waste of a chapter and boring. So, the next chapter will have the Cullen's in it, I'm just not sure how much yet of them yet.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Disneyland is amazing, that's all that's needed to be said. We spent a full week there and had a blast. There were a couple close calls with the sun being out, but over-all it was amazing. It was easier than I thought to get to go. I know technically I didn't need Charlie's permission to go since I'm eighteen, but I didn't want to go knowing he didn't approve. It turns out the whole Denali family was going, even though Tanya and I did spend most of the trip to ourselves.<p>

Tanya actually made sure that Charlie knew she was going on this trip, which from what we told Charlie, Kate put together, so that the idea of her and I being together, even if just on a vacation, can be in his mind. She said if he sees that we've spent a lot of time together that it won't be so hard for him to believe that eventually a relationship grew. I agreed, so I told him. I don't really know what he thought about me going to Disneyland with Tanya, but he seemed to have no problems with it.

We got three hotel rooms, two in each. When we first got there, Kate tried to claim dibs on my room, something about wanting to hear my sleep talking better, but Tanya was quick to put out that idea. When Kate started to push the matter, I swear Tanya was about to rip Kate apart, she yelled out 'mine' as she grabbed me and then said 'our room' and she half dragged half lead me to the elevators to get to our room. Kate didn't mention the rooms again; but I happen to know Irina gave her a hard time about it.

We watched the fireworks every night from an area in front of the Haunted House ride, or at least near it. All six of us sat on the ground and I was happily cuddled next to Tanya while we watched them. We even got the chance to see the water works from both parks.

Every night I was able to cuddle next to Tanya as I slept. Towards the middle of the vacation I had asked Tanya how boring her night is since I know she lays with me all night. I remember Edward said he loved to watch me sleep, that even before we had started going out, that he would watch me; thinking back about that, it creeps me out. Tanya though, Tanya said it's very boring to watch someone sleep, what she likes is to have me in her arms. To her, she says, it's as good as cuddling when we watch a movie or T.V. or something. That's definitely a lot less, or actually not at all creepy like Edward. She also added that listening to what I say in my sleep is apparently very amusing.

The last leg of the trip, the ride home from the airport, it was just me, Tanya, Carmen and Eleazar in the car. Carmen and Eleazar were in the front and Tanya and I were in the back. Kate and Irina opted to run back so that they can grab a bite to eat on their way home. Even though this whole trip has made me tired, so I got a very good excuse to use Tanya as my personal pillow in the backseat even though I know she's not complaining, I don't want to fall asleep, so instead I started a conversation with her about something that has been bothering me.

"What do you think I should do now?" I asked Tanya.

The backseat was just a normal backseat of a typical suburban, nothing exciting since it was just a rental car they wanted to use to fit all of us in, but I was able to lie on Tanya and be fairly comfortable.

"What do you mean?" Tanya asked as she started to lazily comb through my hair with her fingers.

"Well, now that I've graduated, what should I do? When I was with Edward," Tanya let out a little growl at that, apparently she's still over the fact that we were at one point together. "I had wanted to be turned when I graduated since Edward was turned when he was seventeen, I didn't want to be that much older than him." I explained.

"Well, I'm twenty-five, so if you want to wait until you're the same age, we can. Or if you want to be turned sooner you can. What do you want?" Tanya said.

I really don't know what I want. I was so set on becoming a vampire when I moved to Forks, that instead of preparing for college and picking out a career like most juniors, I did my best to not get killed by a vampire that hunted me. My senior year, or at least the start, I was trying to figure out what to do to get Edward to agree to turn me after graduation. Then when they left me, a career after high school was the last thing on my mind.

"I don't know." I eventually answered her.

"Well, do you want to continue your studies, do you want to travel, do you want to be turned or do you want to remain human and stay here?" Tanya asked, giving me several options that I already knew about.

"What would you like?" I asked her, since I still don't really know what I want to do.

"It doesn't matter what I want as long as you stay with me. I'll follow where ever you choose to go and support whatever you choose to do." Tanya said.

I suppose I could go back to school and then get turned afterwards. From what I understand from the Denali's though, my human memories may not entirely remain intact. So what I learned from going to college could be completely forgotten and have been ultimately a waste of time. I don't want to put in the years to get a degree that I don't even know what I would major in anyways, only to forget it all when I get turned.

If I travel, then I would naturally at least bring Tanya with me. We would have to be careful where we go to make sure no one see's her sparkle and we would have to make sure she always has a food source if we go somewhere remote. It might get a little hard to travel to a lot of places since we would have to time it perfectly and we would have to make sure to rent cars and book hotels and where ever we go will have to have for me as well. That's a lot of planning to accommodate both of us since we just can't go someplace too remote for Tanya because of me and we can't go to a lot of popular places easily at least, for me because of Tanya. I don't think I would want that.

If I decide to get turned now, what about Charlie and Renee? I can't just suddenly disappear from their life, I just can't. I would have to come up with something to slowly grow out of their lives and eventually just disappear, or actually probably die I think, when I'm sure it won't as much as it would if I would to do that now. I think at least, I'm not really sure how I would do that, but I can't right now.

Maybe I should just stay here with them and move in. I can tell Charlie that I'm taking time off from school but I still want to be on my own, since I am an adult and I can move in with the Denali's. This way, I get to see Tanya a lot more. I'll still technically live in town, but since I'm graduated, we can now be seen in town and not risk Tanya getting in trouble since she doesn't work at the school anymore. I think that would be the best option.

"I think I would like to stay here and just take some time off school. Even just move in with you guys, if you don't mind." I said, quickly adding the last part since technically the house is Tanya's since she's the leader. I know they gave me a key, but still, I don't want to assume and be wrong or just seem rude.

"Of course you can move in. Now, would that be moving into my room?" Tanya asked as she wrapped her arms around me.

I turned over, once Tanya loosened her grip on me, so that I could face her. This way wasn't as comfortable since I'm taller than the length of the backseat, but I made it work. Once I was facing her, I leaned in and gave her kiss before answering. I did my best to get Tanya as worked up as possible, I learned how from her and since she always seems to do so to me, I learned how to do so to her fairly quickly. Once I had her breathing heavily and her eyes almost black, I pulled away from the spot my lips had found on her neck.

"No." I said simply, then turned back around and laid back down on her.

I just barely heard Carmen and Eleazar chuckle a little from the front seat before Tanya pulled herself together to respond to me.

"You're spending too much time with Kate. What happened to just giving me a simple answer and not getting me all worked up." Tanya complained.

"I blame you, since you do it all the time to me." I responded.

"If Kate hadn't told you to do the same thing to me, I doubt you would have." Tanya said in a huff of breath, finally wrapping her arms back around me.

Yesterday, Kate pointed out to me that whenever there was a disagreement over which ride to go on, or even which store to go to (I always opted for the choice of not going to a store), Tanya would pull me into a very passionate kiss and I became so dazed from the happiness that always followed, I would give in. It's not like I really cared too much about what Tanya was persuaded me to do anyways, but when Kate pointed that out and also said that I could very much have the same effect on Tanya, I tested this out.

Now whenever I just want to mess with her, or get her back for something she had gotten me to agree to, I do the same thing to her. I find it funny and I know Tanya doesn't mind since she gets a mini make-out session from it. I actually really think that we both do this, not for one of us to get our own way or to just get back at the other, but just because we can. The reasons we come up with are just excuses so that it doesn't look like we want to make out all the time. Not that I think we're fooling the family, but I like the theory and I'm sticking to it.

I ended up falling asleep in Tanya's arms before we got back to their house. I was so tired from the trip and so content with being in Tanya's arms that I didn't stand a chance to not fall asleep. I didn't even realize when we pulled up and Tanya made sure to put me in her bed instead of another guest room.

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><p>Over the next couple days since I got home from the trip, I had built up enough confidence with my choice of what I wanted to do that I finally decided to tell Charlie that I'm moving out soon.<p>

The last couple days I had spent as much time as I could with Tanya; both just with us and also in public. I wanted to start slowly with the public so that the others didn't assume we were together when I went to school and I told Tanya as much. She put her foot down on that. She said and I quote 'I'm really tired of telling you this, but I don't give a damn about the human laws. You are not in school anymore, you are eighteen and I don't teach at the school anymore. Nothing will happen, I swear. I'm not hiding this relationship, I've told you this already.', so I gave up that idea.

I don't want Tanya to think I'm hiding out relationship, because I really don't care what other people besides my family and close friends think anyways. Tanya already agreed to break the news to Charlie slowly so that he doesn't get mad at me. Since he doesn't know the town folk that well like he did in Forks, word about me hanging out with a former teacher won't reach him that quickly if at all. So since I don't have to worry about someone spilling the beans early to Charlie, I don't need to hide our relationship from anyone. So as soon as I said that idea, and Tanya said her fill, I quickly tossed the idea out.

I know Charlie knows that my boss, Kate is Tanya's sister and that I've gotten close to the whole family. I talk about them as much as I can to him, especially since I got back, so that he could get used to the idea of me being with the Denali family. So now that it's been a couple days since I've been back, I really want to move out with Charlie and in with the Denali's. I now I'll miss living with Charlie, since he did take me in and all and he is my dad, but I want to spend as much time as I can with Tanya. It's almost like I've become clingy, but Tanya said that that's just the mate bond we have.

"So, I've decided what I want to do, for now at least." I said; breaking the silence Charlie and I had fallen into as we ate dinner.

"And what have you decided?" Charlie asked, putting his fork down to give me his full attention.

"Well, as you know, I don't know what I would want to get a degree in if I go to college. So I don't want to waste time and money to work towards something that I don't know about. I also don't want to continue to live here. No offense to you Charlie, but I am an adult and I want a chance to live out on my own." I said as quickly as I could.

Charlie didn't look offended that I wanted to move, not that I thought he would. Don't all parents want their kids to move out of their house as soon as possible anyways? I can't read Charlie's face; it seems he's waiting for me to tell him exactly what I plan on doing before he passes judgment.

"Okay, I can get that. I myself didn't go straight to college out of high school either, so I don't expect you to if you don't want to. I can respect that you don't want to continue living with your old man in favor of living in your own space with your own rules. So what exactly have you decided to do?" Charlie asked in a very calm voice.

"Well, Kate has an extra room in her house." or several extra rooms, but Charlie doesn't need to know that. "She offered to rent it to me cheap in exchange to working more hours at her store at a lower wage. Since she wasn't paying minimum anyways, I'm okay with taking the hit; which won't actually be that much. We worked it all out about the electricity and cable and all the other bills, I really want to do this." I said as quickly as I could again.

Of course I didn't actually talk about the different house hold bills with them, but Eleazar suggested that help persuade Charlie to not have any problems with me moving in with them, that I would need to cover all my bases as if I was moving in with people that weren't completely loaded with money. So Eleazar told me what to tell Charlie to make it seem like I would pull my weight around the house while being able to do so and still have a little extra money on the side.

"Your bosses' house?" Charlie asked, sounding a bit hesitant about it.

"Well ya, I don't really see her as a boss; more like a best friend." Or a sister really, but I don't think Charlie would understand that that well.

"She doesn't mind at all?" Charlie asked, still hesitant. I don't know what's going on in his head, but I hope it's good.

I've never told Charlie that the Denali's all live together. So I bet he thinks that Kate lives on her own as does Carmen with Eleazar, and Irina and Tanya on their own also. I don't want to point out that they all live together in case that makes him change his mind because of any possible issues he might have about living with a recently former teacher. I'm not lying, just not telling him the whole truth, which he hasn't asked about, so it's okay.

"Nope, she said it would help ease the cost of everything, so she's actually excited about me moving in." I told him.

"When will you be moving in?" Charlie asked with a smile.

I gave him a big smile in return, he may not have actually said yes, but I know his question is as good as his approval. He doesn't mind me moving in; I just hope he feels the same when he learns the full truth.

"Within the week; the whole family will help me move." I answered.

"I'll help you to you know. Just let me know when and where and I'll help." Charlie said.

I got up from my chair, since I was done eating, and gave him a big hug. He blushed at the affection and I'm sure I would have also since, well it is Charlie that I'm hugging, but I'm too happy to get embarrassed.

"I'll clean this up in a bit, I want to call Kate and tell her." I told Charlie excitedly.

"Don't worry about, you do all the cooking and usually clean up, I'll get it this time." Charlie said as I rushed out the kitchen and to my room.

I shouted a thank you over my shoulder to him as I went into my room, only tipping once when I narrowly avoided running into a corner, the stupid thing came out of nowhere. I immediately pulled out my phone and call Tanya because when I say I'll call Kate, I really mean Tanya of course.

"So what did he say?" Tanya asked immediately when she answered.

I told her earlier today that I would be telling Charlie I moving in with them, or at least with Kate, so Tanya said she would be waiting to hear what Charlie's reaction is. Apparently she meant she would be waiting for me to call, because the phone didn't even finish the first ring before she answered.

"He's okay with it, even offered to help move." I told her.

I heard someone grumble in the background then Tanya laughed. Luckily I've been through this before that when the person in the background is done complaining, usually Kate; Tanya will tell me what happened.

"Kate is complaining that we're going to have to move the slow way now whenever Charlie is there since he thinks we're human. And since we only have male, supposedly the stronger sex with humans, we still can't move that fast since us females can't just move what you consider heavy stuff, on our own." Tanya said, sounding amused.

"This will teach Kate some patience." I said knowing she would hear me.

"I have plenty of patience. I just don't want to have to pay attention enough to make sure I don't lift something too heavy." Kate yelled from the background to me.

"Okay Kate. So when do you want to move in?" Tanya asked.

Ever since I picked out the room I want yesterday, which of course is right next to hers, Tanya has been anxious to get me to be completely moved in as soon as possible. Not that I mind, but I feel like she's up to something with how fast she wants me to move in.

"Well, if we start on Wednesday, then in theory we should have most of it done by Thursday, which is when Charlie would be able to help me move. I want him to help, especially since he seemed to really to help me. On Wednesday, when he's at work, we or actually you guys I guess, can get all the really heavy stuff and on Thursday Charlie can help me with small left over boxes." I said.

"That works. By Thursday my present for you will have come in. I had wanted it in for your graduation, but unfortunately it wasn't, so I went with plan B for your graduation present. The gift will definitely be in by Thursday, and when you're fully moved in, I'll give it to you." Tanya said sounding very happy and excited.

My only response to her was to groan into the phone, causing a couple people to laugh in the background; probably Kate and Irina.

"Don't complain love, I've gotten this gift for my whole family and you will be no exception." Tanya said with authority in her voice that made me not want to argue with her.

"Okay Tanya, if you want to give me the gift, I won't complain about it." I said.

"Good, now, there is something that we need to tell. I would rather tell you in person and I have no problem if you want to come over after I tell you if you want, but I feel telling you this as soon as possible is only fair to you." Tanya said. Her tone lost the authority quality it had, but she still sounded serious.

"What do you want to tell me?" I asked, trying not to sound as concerned as I feel.

She better not have any bad news for me. My thoughts started racing with what she could possibly have to tell me. Could she be doing what she told me she wouldn't, like the Cullen's? Is this how she will tell me they are leaving me?

"Our cousins are coming to visit in a couple weeks." Tanya said.

I was so caught up in being relieved that what I had thought she would tell me was horrible wrong, that I didn't put the dots together to figure out what she meant by that. When I didn't even respond, Tanya elaborated.

"The Cullen's, all of them, are coming to visit us in a couple weeks." Tanya said.

Oh, ya, she could have told me a different way. The phone dropped from my hand as soon as my mind understood what she said.

As the phone fell, I thought I heard Tanya shout to me that she's coming over, but I couldn't focus on her. I can only think that they family that left me, left me to Victoria's wrath, left me with a huge hole in my chest that I got very lucky to get Tanya to fill. The family I thought had loved me is coming here.

Do they know I'm here? Did Alice tell them? Why would Alice let them come when they didn't want me in the first place? How do I actually feel about this? I don't know how to feel or what think about them coming. The only thing, the only actually solid thought that is stuck in my head on repeat is 'the Cullen's, the family that left me, are coming'.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry about the delay, but I've re-written this a couple times and I guess this will just have to be another chapter that I don't like but can't do any better. The Cullen's will be in the next chapter; all of them; I just don't know for how much of the chapter yet… I'll figure that out… eventually…**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Tanya has stayed with me every night since she told me about the Cullen's. Ever since she told me, I have had nightmares about that night again. I can't stop thinking about how much the Cullen's hurt me. I know the Denali's wouldn't do that to me, but there's still a small voice in the back of my head that says that's what I thought about the Cullen's also.<p>

Tanya apologized profusely for telling me the way she did, but she says she wanted to tell me as soon as she got the news. Apparently it's very common for the Cullen's to visit them every couple years during summer vacation. Tanya said she was very tempted to tell them no, but she actually wants them to come. She says she wants to personally hear what they have to say about leaving me and the way they did. She also said, in a very round-about way, that she wants to show Edward how our relationship is better than what he had with me and that she's the one that ended up with the girl not him.

The Cullen's would be getting here just after we finished moving me in. I find myself wishing that I was still in school so that I could get a detention or claim I have some school activity to do and keep myself locked in the school so that I don't have to see them. I had actually asked to work that day, but Kate said she was closing the store that day so that they could all properly greet their family. Apparently they all are very anxious to hear what the Cullen's have to say for how they left me. I just hope I don't have a mental breakdown from seeing the family that abandoned me so easily.

"This is all that's left?" Charlie asked as we put the last box into the bed of my truck.

Just as planned, when Charlie was at work, the Denali's moved all the heavy stuff; which wasn't much. Tanya conveniently forgot to tell me that she had already gone out to get new furniture for my new room that she thought I would like. When I started to complain about how she didn't need to get me anything because I already had stuff, she was quick to say that the stuff wasn't for me but for the room. Apparently Tanya doesn't think I'll stay in my own room for long and that I'll quickly start moving into hers. When she told me that, I decided that I would purposefully procrastinate on moving into her room, since I had already thought I would move in there fairly soon, and see how she likes it.

"Yup, Kate has the room already furnished for when family visits, so I'm just taking over the space." I answered.

We both climbed into the truck, me driving since I know for a fact Charlie won't be able to find the house if he drives, and we left for my new home. The trip was spent in mostly silence. Charlie made the occasional comment about how remote they lived and how he was surprised I didn't get lost. Eventually when we got there, Kate and Irina seemed to be having a tough time lifting a bookshelf from the rental truck.

"I think I'll go help them real quick before we get your boxes Bella." Charlie said as he started to get out of the truck.

I quickly followed suit and did my best not to laugh at the face Kate was making at the strain she was having with lifting the bookshelf and Irina's look of lack of caring. It almost seemed like Irina wasn't even trying to make the bookshelf look heavy whereas Kate made it seem like the heaviest thing in the world.

"You ladies need help?" Charlie asked as we approached them.

"Guys, this is my dad, Charlie. Charlie, this is Kate and Irina." I introduced them, my hand motioning to the corresponding person when I said their name.

"Please, this thing is heavy." Kate said, her voice even sounding strained.

"No it's not, you're just weak." Irina said, sounding a little annoyed.

"Well, we can't all be workout addicts like you Irina." Kate said.

"Well, why I don't take your side Kate and Irina and I can take this inside." Charlie said.

"Thank you, we still have several pieces to move inside and I'm not sure how much more I could have carried." Kate said as Charlie took over her position in carrying the bookshelf.

"Right, well, Charlie, just inside are the stairs, this is going to Bella's room." Irina said.

They both then proceeded to carry the thing into the house as Irina gave directions to Charlie since he was walking backwards and left Kate and myself alone outside.

"You did that on purpose didn't you?" I asked Kate.

"Yup, I'm feeling a bit on the lazy side." Kate said.

I would have teased her a little about the fact that technically vampires don't get tired and so in theory she should actually still more than able to help me finish moving; but I happen to know she moved a lot of other furniture the last couple days. Not only did they get stuff for me, but most of them decided to upgrade or just simply change stuff they already had, so they've been moving furniture around for a while now. My stuff is already in, conveniently in Tanya's room, and the stuff we're moving now is just random stuff for the others that came in last and we're just saying it came from storage. I don't think Charlie would know the different between a new or old bookshelf.

"You're always feeling lazy." Tanya said, walking out of the front door.

Without thinking I quickly made my way over to her and launched myself at her. My arms went around her neck and hers went around me waist. My lips, almost like a magnet, went straight to hers. Even with the huge smirk on her face, she's still an amazing kisser.

"What was that for?" Tanya asked when she pulled back to allow me to breath.

"I'm just so happy. Today is my official first day living here with you guys; I didn't think I would be this excited." I explained.

"So you're just happy that you're moving in?" Tanya asked with a small pout and removed her arms from around me.

"Of course I am." I said, a little confused and concerned about what's making her sad.

"Here I thought you were happy because we were going to test the new and larger bed I just got us tonight." Tanya said, her pout becoming more pronounced.

My face, naturally, went red at her remarks and Kate's laughter wasn't helping either. Luckily Carmen arrived on the scene to save me.

"Why don't we grab a couple boxes and move them into your room Bella?" Carmen said with a smile.

I followed Carmen as she walked towards my truck and did my best to get my face to go back to normal. It was almost back to its natural paleness when Tanya walked up to my side and whispered into my ear.

"If you don't want to test out the new bed tonight, we can always try now. Though it we do, I can't promise Charlie won't hear you scream." Tanya said in a very seductive voice.

This time it was Eleazar that came to my rescue.

"Can you come help me carry this inside please Tanya. This is the last of the heavier pieces and I would like to get this started in before Charlie comes back downstairs." Eleazar asked as Carmen and I got to the truck.

"Can't Kate… not disappear into the house to get out of work? Don't think you're getting out of this conversation Bella, it happens to be my favorite topic." Tanya said.

We were having a conversation; since when? I decided to ignore her remarks and followed Carmen into the house. We passed Charlie and Irina on the stairs with Charlie tossing out a compliment about the house and how nice it was of them to let Kate keep it. As soon as we got to my room, I gave Carmen a confused look and she answered my unasked question.

"Irina explained to him that Kate has this large house per it was inheritance from her family. Eleazar and I are friends that got so close to the family that we are seen as family. Tanya and Irina are here to help you move but live elsewhere; apparently Tanya is taking time off work and moving in here to help recover from an apparently stressful work place. Kate offered to have us all move in with her since she apparently has a gambling problem, though it was only hinted at not actually said, and she needs help with covering the household bills. Irina was sure to ease any concerns he had about you being here." Carmen explained with an amused smile.

I like it, Kate our gambling addicted sister. She seems like the kind of person that would get lost in that scene. Then also Tanya not being able to handle a class full of kids, I can't believe it for a second. I guess Charlie never heard about how Tanya managed her classroom because anyone that's every had her class or just heard about new that she rarely had any problems with students because for some odd reason no one was brave enough to mess with her.

We put the boxes on the floor and went back downstairs. It only took maybe another two hours to finish moving the new furniture, or to Charlie the old furniture. The whole time Kate did her best to get out of work and tried to pull small pranks on everyone. Poor Charlie couldn't figure out why every time he helped Kate move something he somehow got shocked, or even just when he was too close to him. I think Kate took advantage of her vampire speed; poor Charlie never stood a chance against her. Irina though, she did her best to make Kate look like the one in the family that screws up the most. She never flat out said anything only ever hinting towards stuff and she always managed to make sure Charlie didn't too concerned and force me to not move in. By the end of the day, Charlie probably thought Kate was addicted to gambling, belonged to a gang at one point, and had a criminal record before changing her name and lots of other things that I can't even believe. I wouldn't actually be surprised if Charlie just figured Irina was trying to be mean to Kate by saying all this stuff.

"If you need anything you know where I'm at okay?" Charlie said as he opened the truck door.

I offered to give him a ride home since there was only one more box that didn't fit in the last load, so we are taking this time to say our goodbyes. I didn't think it would be this hard.

"I'll be fine dad, I promise." I said, trying my best to control my emotions.

It's not like I'm saying goodbye forever, I know for a fact that I'll still see. The hard part is that I know from now I'll be distancing myself from him, there's only so long I could make phone calls and stuff and still sound the same when I'm a vampire. This way is best, slowly distancing then gone. It's painful, but for Charlie and Renee, I think it'll be best.

"I'm sure you will be Bells; but just remember, you always have a bed here whenever you want or need it; okay?" Charlie said.

He seems to be having the same struggle that I'm having; though for entirely different reasons. I'm leaving him; he'll be on his own again. I know for a fact he got used to having me around, I'm sure he'll miss having me with him as much as I'll miss living with him.

"Okay dad." I said.

With a nod of his head he got out of the truck and made his way inside the house; my old house. I shook my head and cleared my thoughts of all this gloomy stuff, I need to be happy. I'm moving in with my girlfriend and I have nothing in the way of spending as much time as I want with her.

As quickly as I safely could, I drove home. When I left Tanya promised to have dinner waiting for me and Kate and Irina promised to have all the furniture moved to the appropriate room. Carmen and Eleazar promised to make sure the furniture got to the right rooms and that my room didn't having any lingering furniture in Tanya's room.

When I got home, I parked the truck in front and went inside, straight to the kitchen. Whatever Tanya made smells delicious and after all the moving I did today, I'm hungry. I found Tanya stirring something on the stove, so I made my way to her, wrapped my arms around her waist and put my chin on her shoulder.

"I thought it was going to be done when I got back?" I asked with a teasing tone.

"It is, this is dessert, pudding. You dinner is on the table honey, go start eating, I'll be there in a minute." Tanya said.

I hesitantly did what she told me to do. Her voice sounds very strained, much too serious for the situation. As I walked to the dining room, I looked at her from the corner of my eye and she seems a little tenser than what I've ever seen her.

As I was told, I started eating and waited for Tanya to get here. There's no use in starving myself when I can just eat and wait to talk to her when she gets here. It took longer than expected for her to get to me, she got to the dining room as I finished eating and she had a bowl of vanilla pudding in her hands. She set the down in front of me and then quickly, meaning too fast for me to see, put the dinner place in the kitchen.

"How was dinner?" Tanya asked as she sat down in front of me.

"It was good, thank you; you're an amazing cook." I said as I started to eat the pudding.

"Thank you, I had some good motivation." Tanya said with a smile that didn't nearly reach her eyes.

I put the spoon down and gave her my full attention. I need to know what's wrong; I don't like seeing her like this.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I've got some bad news." Tanya said.

"What news?" I asked carefully, reminding myself that she won't leave me. The Denali's aren't like the Cullen's.

"The Cullen's arrived sooner than anticipated. They should actually be getting here within the hour." Tanya said.

The look she was giving me, made me think that she's waiting for some type of dramatic and emotional reaction. As much as I would love to break down and just completely freak out about the Cullen's almost being here, I don't want the Cullen's to see that. I want the Cullen's to get here and see that as easily as they could leave me I got over them. Of course that isn't true, but they don't need to know that.

"Okay." I said.

Apparently my calm acceptance was the cue for the rest of the family to come in and sit around us.

"We have an action plan." Kate started right away.

"No we don't, if we did Alice would get a vision and Edward would see. The only decisive thing we've come up with is to talk with them, but we haven't actually decided what." Irina said with a roll of her eyes at Kate.

"Basically Bella, we want to make sure you know that whatever happens, we wills tick by your side. Whatever you want, even if it's just for the Cullen's to leave, we will support your decision." Carmen said.

"Our concern is how Edward will handle himself. A seventeen year-old is more than a bit emotional and can be unpredictable." Eleazar added.

"I swear if Edward does one small thing that I don't like, I'm not afraid to kick his ass." Tanya growled out.

"Meeting the Cullen's, especially Edward, will cause the more protectiveness of Tanya's nature to show." Carmen said.

"Well, let's go wait for them in the living room, we can at least watch a little T.V. in there." Irina said.

As soon as I stood, Tanya was immediately at my side with her arm around my waist and keeping me tightly against her. She led me, though I'm sure she would have preferred to carry me with how close she is next to me, to the living room and we sat on a slightly large recliner. The seat was just large enough for Tanya and I to sit next to each and just barely not have one of us sit on the other's lap. This is one of the new pieces Tanya had wanted and I'm sure she got this one on purpose.

Instead of turning the T.V. on, Kate and Irina started talking about pranks that Kate had done to Irina in the past. Well actually, Kate told her version, then Irina told her version then Carmen or Eleazar told me what had really happened. They kept this up for a full hour; the only reason I knew it last for an hour is because just like Tanya had said the Cullen's arrived.

The front door slammed open and Edward appeared in the doorway looking just as beautiful as ever. He didn't even move to allow the others to get through, though I could clearly see at least Emmett because of how tall he is.

"Bella?" Edward said, sounding desperate, confused, relieved and upset all at the same time.

"Mine." Tanya growled then tightened her grip on me even more as she started growl a little.

I barely registered Rosalie snapping at Edward to move to allow them all to come and I definitely didn't notice Alice tell Edward that this is what's best. All I could focus on is the fact that the former love of my life, my former family, are now here in front of me.

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><p><strong>AN: I don't like drama and I don't really like writing it. But I feel that Edward, from what I recall from the books and movies, if he didn't end up with Bella he would throw a temper tantrum of sorts. So I'm afraid there is going to be drama and hopefully I don't make it too unbelievable.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: Happy Mother's day to all the mother's reading this; I hope you ladies all had a good day.**

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><p>One by one the Cullen's filed into the living room. Rosalie had practically shoved Edward out of the way so that they could all get in. I don't know if the Denali's did it on purpose, but all the furniture to sit on was already taken by the Denali's and me; so the Cullen's were left standing. Tanya continued to growl softly at Edward and Edward seemed very tempted to walk to me; I think Tanya's growling was stopping him.<p>

Once they were all in, I was able to take in all the expressions. Carlisle and Esme looked shocked, Rosalie looked annoyed (probably still from Edward blocking the door), Emmett looked a cross between happy and shocked, Jasper looked like he was struggling; probably with the emotions of everyone and Alice looked happy.

There were a few moments of silence, at least I think it was since I didn't hear anything and I doubt they, except Rosalie since I'm sure she wouldn't mind, would talk at speeds I can't hear given the circumstances. After what seemed like forever, Tanya finally spoke up.

"Carlisle, it's good to see you and your family again." Tanya said, almost like she was forcing herself to be polite. She is the coven leader, so I guess she would have to be.

"You as well Tanya; though it seems your family has grown since we saw each other." Carlisle said.

I would be lying if I said it didn't feel nice to hear his voice again. The voice that I had accepted as a father figure; the voice of the person that left me, I almost forgot what he sounded like… what they all sounded like.

"She is not one of them." Edward growled, his eyes getting very close to being pitch black.

"You have no right to say who is in my family or not. You better watch what you say child, you wouldn't want to insult my family." Tanya said in a calm voice, but still very threatening and held all the authority a coven leader should hold.

Edward seemed to relax a little and I almost gave him credit to being able to calm down, until I saw Jasper giving him an intense stare. I guess Jasper doesn't want a scene and neither do I.

"You'll have to forgive him Tanya. You see, we have a history with Bella." Carlisle said, trying his best to keep the peace.

"I don't have to do anything, you are on my land. If he can't control his temper, watch his mouth and show me and my family the proper respect we have earned, then I still teach him how." Tanya said just as calmly back.

After Tanya's not so subtle threat, everyone went quite again. I could see most of the Cullen's were practically begging me with their eyes to talk with them, to explain the situation. I just can't find myself to talk; I don't trust my voice right now.

"Why are you here Bella? Shouldn't you be in Forks?" Edward asked, breaking the silence.

The Denali's kept the eyes on Cullen's, Edward in particular like they were waiting for him to do something stupid; and the Cullen's, even Rosalie gave me their full attention. Tanya tightened her grip around my waist, something Edward noticed since I saw his eyes narrow slightly. Tanya's small action gave me the courage to talk.

"Well, after you all left me, I sort of became a shell of myself. I got a little better with the help of Jacob, my best friend," When I said that, I saw Alice deflate a little knowing that she lost her title. "But that wasn't enough for Charlie. So he moved us here, where I had Tanya as a teacher." I explained.

I felt very proud of myself, I didn't stutter or anything when I mentioned to their faces about them leaving and I didn't even get close to breaking down. I don't know if Jasper was involved with that happening but I'm very glad it did. Though I didn't really go into that much detail about what had actually happened. As far as I'm concerned, they don't need to know that at the moment; they're the ones that left me.

"Charlie shouldn't have moved; you would have gotten better." Edward said.

That got me mad. He doesn't know anything. He doesn't know how I really was, granted he would only know if I told him; but he knew how much I loved him, did he really think I would just get over it? Why would he think if he left me, without a trace that he even existed, that I would ever get over that easily? It's not like I could talk to someone about losing my vampire boyfriend because I couldn't explain to them that my boyfriend's brother tried to suck the blood from me. No, I don't think anyone would believe that. He left me with a broken heart and no way to get over it; at least not until I met Tanya. I met Tanya because Charlie decided to move; it's all because of Charlie that I'm happy again.

"No, Charlie should have moved. If it wasn't for him, I don't know what would have happened with me." I said, defending Charlie.

"Was it really that bad?" Emmett asked, sounding afraid of what the answer might be.

I'm not used to Emmett sounding this sad and serious, I'm not sure I like it. Though it his partially his fault that I ended up like I did; he left with them.

"Let's just say even with the mate bond working for Tanya, it still took her a while to get this close to Bella." Kate said, sounding just as unusually serious.

"Bella is not her mate!" Edward yelled and growled at the same time.

Immediately Tanya slid a little further in out seat, so she was on the edge and growled loudly. At the same time, Jasper put his hand on Edwards shoulder so that he could calm him even more. I saw Kate and Irina, who closest to me, shift a little as if they were getting ready to bolt to Edward from their seats. Carmen and Eleazar looked ready to bold as well, though I'm not really sure where they would go, but I'm sure it would be someone in my direction.

All of the Cullen's, not just Jasper, also reacted. Alice moved the side a little and slightly closer to Carmen and Eleazar; away from Edward. Emmett seemed ready to grab Edward if Jasper wasn't able to keep him calm enough. Carlisle seemed to tense a little as well, probably to stand in Edward's way if he chose to attack. Esme and Rosalie both just tensed but didn't exactly move.

"You will watch what you say Edward. Remember, just because more of your family has powers than mine, it doesn't mean it makes up for experience. We have centuries on all of you, if you chose to start a fight, you will lose. I will not stand for anyone questioning my relationship with my mate or threatening her. You better be careful about what you chose to do." Tanya said, not even bothering to hide the threat in her tone.

"Ask Jasper to confirm the bond. You can read his mind the moment he confirms it, before he even could have a chance to try and hide what he feels." Irina said.

"They shouldn't have to prove anything; he should be able to read Tanya's mind and know." Kate muttered just loud enough for me to hear.

Edward smartly chose to ignore Kate's comment and faced Jasper. After a few seconds, Edward completely relaxed into a more defeated stance. It seems Jasper saw what Irina knew he would and Edward actually accepted it; I hope at least.

"If Alice didn't have to have that stupid party, you would still be mine." Edward said, making Tanya growl.

"She never would have been yours." Tanya said.

"Don't blame me Edward. Yes it was bad for Jasper to lose control, but ultimately nothing happened. We could have stayed; you're the one that forced us to move." Alice said, for once sounding very angry.

"Even if we had stayed, I doubt she would have stayed with you forever." Emmett commented.

"What do you mean? Of course she would have." Edward said, still not realizing that he's pissing Tanya off.

"Don't be stupid Edward. Naturally you two would have had some sort of ceremony or wedding of some sort that we would of course have invited the Denali's. Once Tanya saw Bella, there's no chance in hell she would have allowed you to take her mate on a honeymoon or even complete the vows." Rosalie said, sounding very bored by all of this.

I wasn't expecting that. I never would have thought Rosalie would have defended me. Though I think it was more defending Tanya and her mate, the fact that I'm Tanya's mate was just a little detail Rosalie decided to over-look.

"I'm sorry Edward, but it was never going to work between you two. It may have at one point, but then something changed and I didn't see Bella with you anymore." Alice said.

"What do you mean Alice?" Edward demanded.

"Well, you know how my visions work, they are all based off of decisions that people make. So when you made a decision, I saw a couple different courses that Bella's life could have taken, all of them ending with Tanya." Alice said, looking a little sheepish.

"I hear a story coming on." Kate said, finally relaxing back into her seat and sounding more like the upbeat, annoying sister that I've come to know.

"You knew this was all going to happen?" Esme asked, sounding confused.

"I did." Alice answered.

"You knew what you all me leaving was going to do to me, but you still did it? Why?" I asked, almost pleaded, but the hurt I felt was very evident in my voice.

"Well, it started with one vision." Alice started what I'm sure will be a long story.

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><p><strong>AN: Short I know, but I'm still working on explaining how it all works, but I wanted to at least put this part up.**

**Also, woot I have 100k words and over 100k hits, this is awesome! =D**


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Everyone sat at the proverbial edge of their seats, though really they all just sat and intently stared at Alice, waiting for her to continue. Even Edward seemed anxious for her to continue, Alice must be hiding her thoughts so that Edward can't look ahead and read her thoughts about what she's going to say.<p>

The Cullen's all looked just as anxious, they seem to really want to know how this all came about; except Rosalie, she looked a little bored but I bet she is really paying close attention. Kate looked really excited about hearing Alice's 'story' as she called it; she almost reminds me of a kid waiting for story time. Carmen and Eleazar look very interested and have given Alice their full attention. Irina looks interested, but she looks more like this is something to pass the time; I'm sure she doesn't care about how I got here, just the fact that I did.

Tanya though, she's still just as tense. I can see her eyes moving from Alice and Edward. She seems to be waiting for Edward to lose his cool or even attack at any moment. To try and ease her nerves, I wrapped my arm around her waist, rested my head on her shoulder and my free hand grabbed her free hand, since she still had one wrapped around me, and held it in my lap. This seemed to work wonders on Tanya; she instantly relaxed into me and rested her head on top of mine. Edward took a side-way's glance at us but when Tanya weakly growled at him, he turned back around.

Personally, I'm nervous and excited to hear what Alice has to say. She was my best friend and she left me alone to suffer, I want to hear her reasoning for that. I'm also afraid to hear what she has to say because with her visions not being guaranteed, that means she may have gambled my happiness with Tanya for something else with whatever decision she made to let what actually happened happen.

"When we first met Bella and Edward took an interest in her," Tanya growled at this but I started to rub my thumb on her hand and she instantly stopped. "I saw Edward and Tanya together, both as vampires." Tanya growled again and this time I tightened my grip on her waist. Luckily no one is saying anything about her growling, though from what it looks like Edward wants to. "When they got closer, Edward started thinking about marrying Bella, that's when I started seeing visions of Tanya and Bella together. I knew from the very first vision that they were real mates, not Edward and Bella as we had believed." Alice said, but paused when Edward interrupted her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Edward demanded.

"I was going to, but I had visions of you ignoring me and not listening to me; so I decided that since you were both happy to let it go and see what more I could find out." Alice answered calmly.

"What a surprise, Edward not listening; I never would have imagined it." Rosalie said; her voice thick with sarcasm.

"Rosalie, be nice. Please continue with the story." Esme said.

Edward looked like he was going to say something, but with a look from Esme, he quickly closed his mouth. Emmett though, did open his mouth.

"How did Jasper not know that their feelings weren't the same as an actual mated pair?" Emmett asked.

I'll have to admit, that is a good question. Shouldn't Jasper felt from the beginning that what we felt wasn't as strong as a mates bond? I can even tell right now, that the love I feel for Tanya is so much more than what I had ever felt for Edward.

"I'll let Jazz answer that one." Alice said with a smile.

"Thank you darling." Jasper said with his normal Southern drawl. "I do know what a proper mated pairs feelings are like, even for the early stages because naturally I went through them myself. What I did not know however, was how those feelings represented themselves in a human. I have never come across a human and vampire mates, so I had nothing to compare to." Jasper said.

"Couldn't you tell with Edward though?" Carmen asked.

"I'm afraid not. You see, Bella is Edwards' singer. So his love for her blood is extremely similar to that of a mates love. I did not think to look closer since they both feel in love." Jasper explained.

Once again Tanya growled at the mentioning of me being in a relationship with someone besides her, so this time I moved my head slightly and gave her small kiss. Of course she felt my head move and felt that I shouldn't kiss her cheek, so she moved her head as well so that I got the pleasure to kiss her lips.

"That's hot." Emmett said, followed by the sound of Rosalie smacking him upside the head.

Edward smartly didn't say anything, but the look he had on his face was one of disgust. Tanya noticed his look and didn't say anything, but her smug look let me know that she plans on kissing me a lot more in front of Edward just to annoy him. Not that I mind of course, I don't I could ever turn down a kiss from Tanya.

"So Jasper's gift couldn't see anything different from what everyone, but Alice, thought. So Alice, how did you go from seeing a possibility of Bella and Tanya together to it becoming a reality?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, like I said I didn't want to say anything because as I've learned plenty of times because of my gift, whatever is meant to be will be. I felt at the time that I didn't need to say anything because everything would fall into place as it's supposed to be. The birthday party though, that I didn't see. I'm so sorry Bella, if I had known I wouldn't have done it; but I didn't know." Alice said.

I drew in a deep breath. I get this feeling that before Alice continues with this story, there will be a little discussion about that party first. I'm okay with that since I want to get at least one thing off my chest about it.

"I don't blame you Alice, or you Jasper, for what happened at the party. I do however; blame you all for what happened after it. I can easily forgive you for slipping up; especially since I wasn't actually hurt, but I can't forgive you all so easily for leaving me." I said as confidently as I could.

I want to forgive them, I really do. They were my family and I loved them; but when they left they took that bond with them. I think one day I can probably have the relationship I once had with them back; but I don't know when and they will have to work at it.

"We can understand that Bella. What we did clearly hurt you, that was not what we wanted. We are all truly sorry and hopefully with time, we can prove to you that we want you in our family; even as a cousin." Carlisle said with a smile and Esme and Emmett nodded their agreement.

I honestly expected Rosalie to scoff at what Carlisle said, since he included her when he said 'we want you in our family', but she didn't say or do anything. She didn't even roll her eyes. Emmett, he gave me a huge smile and a thumbs up.

"I appreciate your forgiveness and in time I hope that I can earn your trust back. Thank you Bella." Jasper said.

"Don't worry Bella; I'm sure you'll forgive us." Alice said with a knowing smile.

"Did you know what was going to happen to my mate Alice?" Tanya asked, trying to not sound so harsh but failing miserably.

"I did what was the choice to get Bella to you." Alice said, not really giving Tanya an answer. She probably said that first to make sure Tanya listened to all of what Alice has to say and not jump to conclusions and get mad. "I did see what was going to happen to her. Naturally Edward made the decision to leave quickly and we had little time to fight him on his choice. You must understand Bella that not a single one of us wanted to leave. Well, actually Rosalie didn't care one way or the other, but she didn't pick sides." Alice said.

"Then why did you all leave me?" I asked, sounding very hurt.

None of them but Edward, what I thought was the love of my life, my soul mate, wanted to leave, but they all did. I don't understand. How did one get all of them to leave, without even saying goodbye?

"He said as your mate he got to decide what was best for you. When a vampire is doing something for their mate, for their mates' health, we let them decide. Just like if Esme asked us to do something for Carlisle no matter what it is we would do it. Granted we might question, or try to persuade them, but a vampire's mate has the ultimate decision when it comes to ones mate." Alice said.

Okay, so if a mate is incapacitated somehow, the other half gets to decide what to do? I guess it's kind of like a human wife or husband deciding if they want to pull the plug on their spouse for whatever the circumstances. I can understand that, especially with vampires being a lot more animalistic. I wouldn't want to get in the way of a vampire doing something for their mate.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you wouldn't come back as soon as you saw Bella in distress. Why didn't you go to her?" Irina asked.

"I wanted to, I really did. I knew that if anyone of stayed behind Edward would do something stupid, like threaten to reveal himself and I didn't want to risk that. Then I got a vision shortly after leaving that Edward was leaving us, so I thought that then I could go back to Bella, but that didn't work either. You see, at this time, I was getting more and more visions of Bella being with Tanya and not Edward; I just had to figure out how. I'm guessing that because Bella was so in love with Edward that it took us leaving her to break the bond she had with us and the time it took for her to move her, for her to not necessarily get over Edward, but to allow her heart a chance to let another in." Alice explained.

"I believe I understand. If Edward hadn't abandoned Bella and took all of you with her, she would have still harbored deep feelings for Edward and would have made being with Tanya more difficult." Carlisle said.

"Right; if we had stayed or even come back, we would have eventually had a ceremony where the Denali's would have naturally been invited to and Tanya would meet Bella and therefore would know instantly that she didn't belong to Edward but to her." Alice said.

"Imagine how much more difficult it would have been for you Tanya if that had happened; it took you long enough with how things worked out now." Kate joked.

"So, you left because of a vampire thing, kind of out of respect. You didn't come back because you saw that it was the best way for me to get to Tanya faster and easier?" I asked Alice to confirm I understood what she was saying.

"Exactly, it was the best option, all things considered, to get you to your mate the fastest and easiest." Alice said.

"That's can't be true. She is my mate as I am hers. We are meant to be together." Edward said.

"Don't be so dense Edward. Look how Tanya acts with Bella for the two seconds we have been here, they act more like a couple than you two ever did. Just get over the fact that you lost to a girl." Rosalie said.

"If you lay claim to her again I will be forced to take action. Remember Edward, you are nothing but a child; even with your gift, I'm much too old to lose a fight against someone like you. Especially with my mate on the line; so please, but all means, open your mouth and say something stupid again so that I can kick your ass." Tanya said.

To say this, and to seem more threatening I suppose, she lifted her head off of mine and sat up straighter. From the corner of my eye, I could see her eyes darken a little and I heard a feint growl in her voice. I'm sure if I wasn't holding on as tightly as I could, Tanya would have already flown at Edward.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary." Carlisle said, trying to avoid a fight.

"Edward, why don't you go out for a hunt and calm down a little?" Esme suggested.

"I don't need to." Edward growled out while glaring at Tanya.

"I think you should Eddie. Why don't you, me, Jazz and Eleazar go hunting and we can let them all catch up. What do you say Eleazar? Jazz?" Emmett asked.

"I believe that would be a good idea. After you Edward." Eleazar said as he stood up.

Eleazar made sure to follow Edward out the door and Emmett and Jasper were right behind him. As they left I couldn't help but allow a long yawn to escape. I can't help it, its kind of late and with the excitement of the move and them getting here, I'm really tired.

"I'm sorry we have kept you up for so long Bella. If you want we can continue this discussion in the morning; if that's alright with you and Tanya of course." Carlisle said.

"Sure, I don't mind." I answered; I just want to go to sleep.

"For now you are all still welcomed in my house as long as Edward doesn't do anything stupid." Tanya said.

We both got up at the same, mostly because Tanya practically just lifted me up herself with the arm she still has around me and we made our way to the stairs to go to my room. As I went into my room, Tanya followed right behind me and closed the door.

"You know, you didn't have to follow me in here." I said with a smile.

"But how else would have gotten such a good view?" Tanya asked with an innocent smile.

I blushed a little at what she said before grabbing my pajamas. When she made no move to leave, I changed as quickly as I could in front of her. As nervous as I was to do so, I know for a fact that eventually Tanya will see it all, so I might as well try to get used it. The look on Tanya's face let me know that she did in fact appreciate that I changed in front of her.

"Are you going to stay here or go back downstairs?" I asked.

"If you don't mind, I would like to stay here and hold you." Tanya asked.

I'm not how, but I know Tanya wants to stay with me because she feels threatened by Edward; not that she would ever admit it of course. Something about my ex-love being here must have set off her instincts. I personally don't it at all because I love to sleep next to Tanya; it makes me feel safe.

"I don't mind." I said as I crawled into bed with Tanya right behind me.

"Goodnight my love." Tanya said with a kiss to the back of my head as she spooned me from behind.

"'Night Tanya." I said as I closed my eyes to fall asleep.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope the explanation i used made sense. i tried wording it differently and this seemed the best. It it confused a lot of people, then I'll just add a little more explainationness in the next chapter.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>I woke up to loud growling from a distance and from right next to me. I couldn't help but tense up as I heard the threatening sounds coming from around the house. As soon as I tensed up, the arms around me held me tighter to the body behind me. I felt cold lips gently kiss my check. The closeness allowed my senses to awaken slightly from the sleepy haze I was in and I could smell Tanya. Her scent and simply knowing she is with me helped calm me immediately.<p>

"What's happening?" I asked as the growling continued.

"That stupid boy seems to think that if he talks to you, you'll change your mind about being with me. He doesn't seem to understand that you're mine and he no longer has any chance in hell of ever getting you back." Tanya growled out.

He wants to talk to me? Does he really think that just simply talking to me will get to forget all the pain he put me through? If I had never met the Denali's, then I could see myself going back to him. But now that I have met them, especially Tanya, I can never see myself going back to Edward. I'm almost disgusted with myself that once upon a time I would have willingly gone back to him. I was always destined for Tanya, one way or another, we would have gotten together. No matter what he says, he won't change my mind.

I will admit though, I'm a little curious as to what he has to say. I want to know how he'll try to get me back. I don't want to string him along and make him think he has a chance at getting me back; because he doesn't. He doesn't even have a little hope.

"He can't change my mind." I said without a second thought.

"That's what everyone is saying; but he still wants to talk. The only reason I haven't gone down there is because all they're doing is talking and so far it's harmless." Tanya said.

I turned around in Tanya's arms and gave her chaste kiss. I could honestly get used to this; not necessarily waking up in her arms, though that is nice; but just simply laying in her arms. It's very comforting and relaxing. It's almost like the problem with Edward, though I don't really see it as that big of a problem, doesn't exist.

"I want to talk to him." I said, barley noticing that I could no longer hear any growling.

Tanya's eyes darkened a little; clearly she did not like this idea. I could practically see her mind working out reasons as to why I should not talk to him. I could also see a bit of insecurity in her eyes. Is she afraid that I'll leave her for him? Does she really think I'll go back to him?

Before she could say anything that she was thinking, I decided to explain myself first and hopefully ease any worries she has.

"I just want to hear what he has to say. I want to know why he left me and took what I thought was my family with him. He hurt me a lot Tanya; you know that, I want to know what his reasoning was. Are you worried that him talking to me will change my mind about us?" I asked the question hesitantly, I don't want to be wrong in my assumption because that would be embarrassing. If I'm right, then I want reassure her.

Tanya smiled at my question, and I'm sure she almost laughed before she answered me.

"I'm far from worried about you changing your mind and going to him honey. What I'm worried about is that you might not like what you hear. I don't know his reasons, but they have to be pretty stupid because I can't think of any good reason to leave you. I find it hard to believe that he truly thought you were his mate and was able to leave you." Tanya said.

My face went a little red in embarrassment for me thinking that Tanya would second guess my feelings. I know I haven't really vocalized what I feel towards her; but clearly she is far from insecure about our relationship. Even though my face is red, I couldn't help but smile slightly at the fact that Tanya is so positive about our relationship; it's so nice to know she has no fear of losing me that she trusts me to stay with her.

"Edward wants to talk to you alone, that I don't want. If you really want to talk to him, can I at least stay with you? We can send the others away, but I would really like to stay with you incase Edward decides to do something stupid." Tanya said.

Unlike Edward, who always told me what I was doing and demanded things of me, Tanya is asking. She's afraid of my safety, even if just a little, but she still asks instead of making demands. I'm sure if I said no she already has a back-up plan for if Edward does something stupid; but I would like to have Tanya there with me.

I know that whatever Edward tells me isn't going to be something I'll like to hear, but I want to. I'm sure it'll hurt to hear his reasoning's; I know I'll want Tanya there to give me added strength to not break down. I haven't broken down since they have gotten here and I don't want to.

"That would be nice. I don't really mind the others being here, since I'm sure they'll all find out somehow, but I really do want you here." I said.

Tanya gave me a huge smile and pulled me into a heated kiss.

"The others will be gone to give us privacy for what I'm sure will be a difficult conversation for you. Why don't you get up and ready for the day and I'll just wait here and enjoy the view?" Tanya asked when we broke away from the kiss.

I gave her a quick kiss and quickly climbed off the bed. I grabbed cloths from the closet and made my way to my bathroom. I know for a fact Tanya had meant for me to leave the door open for my shower and the only reason I didn't blush is because I knew what I was going to do. When I got into the bathroom I started taking off my shirt and before the shirt was even half way up, I closed the door with my foot, making sure it was completely closed. I heard Tanya groan; probably much louder that necessary and I heard both Kate and Emmett laughing. I smirked to myself and continued on with getting ready.

In what seemed like no time at all, I was walking downstairs with Tanya right in front of me. Tanya had already told me that the others had left and only Edward was in the house. We found him waiting patiently in the living room, sitting on the couch. Tanya led me to the loveseat that was sitting opposite the couch.

As we sat down, Tanya made sure that she kept me tightly against her. She held one hand around my waist as far as it could go and the other hand held my hand in her lap. It almost felt like Tanya was getting ready to pull me into a hug; but I believe this was not so subtly letting Edward know I was taken by her.

"Good morning Bella, I trust you slept well?" Edward asked in his normal voice that I had once loved to hear.

His eyes were slightly darkened and he would definitely need to hunt after this talk. I'm actually a little surprised he didn't hunt before-hand. Though, he might have actually and his eyes darkened with how Tanya and I are acting like the couple we are.

"Yes I did, thank you Edward. So, I hear you want to talk?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"I do yes; but I would prefer to do so in privacy since this concerns just the two of us." Edward said.

There's no way I'm going to let him get Tanya to go; plus I doubt he would be able to anyways. I half expected to hear Tanya start talking to dispute what he just said, but she is allowing me to take control of the conversation for us. I actually like this, being able to talk for myself, that is definitely not something Edward allowed.

"Yes it does. Anything that has to do with me automatically has to do with her and vice-versa. We are mates Edward; we all involved completely in each-others' lives. That includes past relationships." I said.

His eyes darkened a little more and he took a second to regain his composure before he started talking again.

"Fine; if that's what you want. I just want to tell you why I left Bella; I want you to know that I had no intentions of hurting you, but only to protect you." Edward said with a slight pleading tone in his voice.

"How did leaving me protect me? You have no idea what I went through while you were gone. You all leaving me, devastated me Edward. I honestly didn't think I would ever get over it." I said.

"I know it hurt in the beginning, but like you said, you did eventually get over it. That's what I wanted for you Bella; a nice normal human life. That's what you were meant for. I was doing nothing but putting you in danger and I just couldn't handle that. I didn't want to be the reason for you getting hurt. So I left, even though it hurt me tremendously, I did so for you; so you could have a normal life." Edward said.

The look he gave me after his little speech made me think that he believed what he just told was supposed to change my mind and I was supposed to instantly forgive him. The look I gave him though, was one of complete anger. Even his reasoning for leaving was completely selfish. He didn't care about what happened to me, he cared about his conscious.

"Didn't you once think of what I wanted? You may not have noticed, but I was perfectly happy with the life I had with you guys. Yes, there was some danger involved, but in case you didn't notice, I was saved every single time. I was happy with that Edward; that was what I wanted." I said.

"Also Edward, she had another vampire after her. You leaving only left her wide open for that nomad to attack her. Bella got extremely lucky that the time from you leaving her and the time she came here that she wasn't attacked. I know from talking with Jacob that she is a hunted woman. Now tell me, if Victoria had chosen to attack her, how could she have defended herself? You basically left her to die; you all left her." Tanya added.

I gave her a confused look as soon as she mentioned Jacob. When did she talk to him? When did she find out about Victoria? Clearly I'm missing something. The look Tanya gave me in return said that she'll tell me later.

"She would have been fine. The pack would have protected her." Edward said quickly; even I can tell that he hadn't actually thought of that.

"So you left what you thought was your mate, to the protection of our enemies? That's not a smart move Edward." Tanya said with a smug smile, she knows we're winning this.

"The pack never came into Forks, except for Jake and even he wasn't over that much. Edward you don't understand, I was basically a zombie; I did nothing but go to school and work. When you left, you took my life with you." I said.

"You would have gotten better; you just needed more time." Edward insisted.

I couldn't but let out a frustrated sigh. I know Edward is stubborn, but this is ridiculous. I want him to understand his mistake and I want him to get over this so that I don't have to worry about Edward trying to get me back with him. I do want a relationship with the Cullen's eventually, but if he acts like this, I don't know if I could.

"I wouldn't have gotten better Edward; I would have barely passed through life. I had already decided that no one else could take your place; how could they? How could a human possible compare to a vampire, it's not possible Edward. I was actually already thinking of living my life alone and dyeing alone." I said.

I know it's a bit dramatic, but it's true. How can a human with all our imperfections compare to a vampire and their perfection. I realize that the imperfections we have as humans are what make us, us; but when you've had perfection, how can you go to imperfection? It just can't happen.

"We are meant to be Bella." Edward said, sounding a little desperate.

His posture and tone make me think that he's about to give up his stance; I really hope he does. I don't want to keep fighting him on something that he will never win.

"No you're not Edward. She is meant to be a delicious snack for you; she is your singer and nothing else. You will find your mate eventually. I realize that you've been alone for a while; but I have centuries on you of not having my mate; so don't even use that against me. Kate and Irina haven't found their mate either and they're just as old as me. You have only lived for a hundred years; you have time, plenty of it, to find your mate." Tanya said in more caring tone than I ever thought she would use with Edward.

She's right though. Tanya is insanely old, as are Kate and Irina. Tanya just now found me and Kate and Irina have yet to find their other halves. Edwards measly hundred years alone compared to the three Denali sisters is nothing. The other Cullen's seemed to have gotten extremely lucky in finding their mates so quickly; Edward is just going to have to wait.

"I- I need time to think. I understand what you're saying, but I just… I can't accept this." Edward said.

He then slowly stood, nodded once at Tanya and then left without a word.

"So, what happened?" I asked Tanya.

"We got through to him. The singers call is very similar to a mate's call, like Jasper said. What Edward has to realize though is that it's only your blood that calls him where as it's your very existence that calls to me. I'm sure he'll be away for a few days to think things over and then he'll come back." Tanya said as she relaxed into the loveseat a little.

I doubt Edward will just get over it within a couple days, but maybe he'll not say anything stupid about mine and Tanya's relationship anymore. I'm a little surprised he didn't say anything about us being girls since from his time it was frowned upon. Maybe the talking they did earlier was getting him to get over at least that one thing. I'm not really sure though and I'm not going to ask since it's all been dealt with.

"You talked with Jake?" I asked as I curled into Tanya to get more comfortable; she makes a really good pillow.

"I did; the first time he came here. He gave me a warning about Victoria along with several other warnings." Tanya said.

Well that raised a couple questions for me.

"Several warnings?" I asked, wanting a further explanation.

"Yes, something along the lines of if I hurt you either physically or emotionally he would hunt me down and slowly burn me. I wasn't really paying attention to be honest since I know I would never hurt you." Tanya said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, referring to both Jake's stupid warning and about Victoria.

"Well, the Jake thing was stupid and doesn't matter since it won't ever happen. The Victoria thing is only because I don't know where she is or even for how long she'll be a threat." Tanya said.

"What do you mean how long?" I asked.

"Well, if you want to be changed in a month, then you'll be a newborn relatively shortly and if she attacks while you're a newborn; well, that will definitely be a fight I'll want to see because I'm sure it will be amusing. Victoria won't stand a chance against a newborn. If you chose to wait longer, then I'll just have to get into the mind set of keeping an eye on you; though I personally never planned on letting you out of my sight for long anyways." Tanya explained.

"You plan on stalking me?" I asked, sounding slightly amused by her not wanting me out of her sight.

"No, I'll be by your side the whole time I'm with you. I need to keep you in my sights so that I can wear down the part of you that seems to not want to sleep in my room or really just sleep with me in general." Tanya said.

For a small moment I was really proud of myself that I didn't blush at her insinuation of us having sex. I even allowed myself to briefly think that I'm finally starting to get immune to the teasing I seem to constantly receive. The feeling only last a couple seconds though; it ended when Kate came into the room.

"She means that she wants in your pants sooner rather than later. I'm personally thinking you'll both break down in sexual frustration and just have wild sex someplace random" Kate said, then she struck a pose as if she was actually thinking about where we would have sex for the first time.

"Maybe their first time will be in the kitchen." Emmett supplied.

"I'll save the kitchen for a later date Emmett. Our first time will be in my room and I'll make sure the whole house knows to vacate it." Tanya said with an evil smirk.

By now everyone, except Edward and Jasper (who I'm assuming is with Edward) were all in the living room, either sitting on furniture or standing. Also by this time, my face looks like the perfect tomato.

"That means she's going to make you a screamer." Kate said with a smirk.

"Okay, so I'm going to make myself some breakfast now." I said and quickly stood up to escape the teasing.

I bolted to the kitchen and I'm sure the only reason I didn't trip was because I held Tanya's hand me the whole time. When I got to the kitchen, Esme was already in there cooking, she gave me a small smile and I just decided to let her cook since clearly she wants to. Maybe this is her way of trying to get my forgiveness, if it is I definitely have no objections to it.

I get the feeling that for the next couple days I'm going to have the Cullen's all trying their best to get back into my good graces. Except for Rosalie, I doubt she cares one way or the other. The next few days will be interesting.

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><p><strong>AN: For those that have seen the other story I've posted, I just want to say that that story has nothing to do with the poll I have up. I only posted it because the idea was in my head and I wanted to get it out; it will be short. The story for the poll won't start until after this one is done, or at least when I know it's really close to being done.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>The last several days have been annoying. The Cullen's have done all they could to get me to forgive them. As much as I want to forgive them, I just can't right now. I can tell they are very sorry for what they did and they truly wish they didn't; but that still doesn't make up for the fact that they did leave me. If they had paid close enough attention to how Edward and I acted as a couple they would have known we weren't really mates and they wouldn't have left.<p>

All of them had their own ways of trying to get me to forgive them. Emmett took it upon himself to buy a new gaming system for the Denali house and bought all sorts of games for it. When I told him that I still don't play, both he and Kate took it upon themselves to teach me. I can see myself forgiving Emmett very easily. He's like my big brother and yes he did make a mistake, but he's trying to make up for it and I know the mistake will never happen again because Tanya won't let it.

Esme cooked every single meal for me. Before I could even get up when I felt just slightly hungry, she already had a plate of something for me ready. I think Alice may have gotten in on that with her, but I never asked. Sometimes while I ate, she would replace Tanya's spot and talk with me. She offered to help re-model and decorate my room. At first I didn't want to accept the help; but she is an interior designer, so I did accept. I'm not sure when exactly we will start to go over everything, but I'm sure it'll be soon. I can see myself forgiving Esme fairly quickly as well also because well… she is the very epitome of all that is motherly good in this world, how can someone not forgive her?

Carlisle even had his own way to get my forgiveness; he along with Tanya talked with me about everything that has to do with becoming a vampire. Since Carlisle has turned several already and Tanya hasn't, he was a little more knowledgeable when it came to knowing if Tanya would be able to turn me and what she would need to do to do so. Tanya insisted that she wouldn't have a problem turning me, which makes me very happy. They both also went over how my newborn years would be like; that's where Jasper came into the picture.

I was very surprised that Jasper wanted to spend time with me. He couldn't spend as much time with me as the others, but he still did. He talked with me about my newborn years. He actually started teasing Emmett with me about how I'll be able to beat him in arm wrestling because I'll be a lot stronger than him. I'm looking forward to that personally. I made sure to tell Jasper again that I didn't hold anything against him; yes the paper cut was bad, but the others were able to control themselves. It was when Edward carelessly pushed me into the glass and injured me even more that caused the others, except Carlisle of course, to lose control.

Alice, my former best friend and whom I had actually looked forward to having as a sister, also tried to get me to forgive her. I understand why she did what she did and I'm grateful because she did what her visions told her was best to get me and Tanya together quickly. It's just after all the pain she let me go through for those months before we moved is very hard to get over. I can't help but think that there could have been something she could have done to get Charlie to move us faster.

I eventually learned that it was Alice that got Tanya to be a teacher; so that helped the little pixie, but not much because she also said that I still would have met Tanya it just would have taken a little longer for us to get together. When Tanya heard that it could have taken longer she thanked Alice profusely for getting to be a teacher; apparently I really tested her patience with making her wait as long as she did for us to be a couple.

Alice eventually got me to agree to let her partner with Esme and help decorate my room when it came time to remodel it. Tanya made sure thought we waited a little bit before that started, which annoys me a little because with talking with Esme I was starting to really look forward to remodeling it. I think Tanya wants to wait though because she wants a little more time to try and get me to agree to move in with her and I think she's feeling my resolve about waiting longer failing. The time I spend with her, the more I want to sleep in her room, or as she says our room. She still lies with me as I sleep; her uninterrupted cuddle time is what she claims, most nights, so it's basically like we're already in the same room.

Rosalie so far is the only Cullen, besides Edward since he hasn't come back yet, that hasn't tried to earn my forgiveness. I had let it slip at one point that I didn't hold any grudge against her because she had blatantly told me from the beginning that she didn't like and didn't want me in the family. She also made it no secret that she felt that the Cullen's should have moved away for a while; so when they actually did, I remember thinking that Rosalie finally got her way. So needless to say, I wasn't really mad at Rosalie. In retrospect, I should have kept that information to myself. Since Rosalie found out, she hasn't been nicer she still acts just as cold, but she likes to hold the fact that I'm not mad at her over the other's heads. Kate has also taken to teasing the Cullen's that still need my forgiveness that the ice queen has my forgiveness before them.

"I have a new reason for you." Tanya said as she walked down the aisle that I was shelving books around on.

Tanya and I are working from open to close today and she decided for us to move books around and put some from the back out front in the back and books that we had in the back upfront. Tanya naturally did all the heaving lifting and I just sat on the floor and shelved the books that she brought to me.

All day she has been coming up with reasons for me to move into her room. The first one was that it would be easier for us to have sex before and after I fall asleep; of course that got my face red and that didn't change my answer. Tanya also said that it would be easier for us to share cloths if the cloths are in the same closet. Apparently we are near enough to being the same size that she has already planned on wearing some of my cloths. I had thought that she didn't like my cloths since mine are more for comfort and her are more for fashion; but she said that wants to get her scent on my cloths and therefore me that way everyone knows I'm taken. I didn't have the heart to tell her that all the vampires I know that would take that into consideration already know I'm taken and the humans that I would be around that don't know wouldn't take a smell as a warning that I'm taken. She seemed too proud of her idea for me to burst her bubble.

"Oh ya? What is it?" I asked, not even looking up.

"The bed in the master bedroom is bigger and a lot more comfortable; you even agreed on that." Tanya said and I'm sure she has a smile on her face because I'm sure she thinks this will get me to change my mind.

To be honest, I'm just holding back on saying no right because it amuses me to watch her try and change my mind. I'm actually thinking that either today or tomorrow I will tell her that I'll move in. Alice has already seen that I will but can't see what day; fortunately she promised not to tell Tanya. Alice did tell me that I should tell Tanya soon though because even though both families are very amused by Tanya trying to change my mind, she keeps getting visions of Tanya just destroying my room to make me move in with her. I wouldn't be mad if she did because not only is it her house, but I have no objections to moving in with her; it's just I think she's so cute trying to get me to change my mind.

"You're right, I did; but I'm not too concerned about the size of the bed and the one in my room is comfortable enough." I said as I continued to shelf books.

Tanya sat down next to me and started helping me with my task. Naturally she sat down right behind me with her legs on either side of me so that if she wasn't shelving books with me I could have just leaned back against her. She was only using one hand to do so while her other hand wrapped around me waist and pulled me into her.

"Okay, how the bathroom? The bathtub in it is big enough for both us to fit in it and the one in your room isn't. I know we can still fit both of us in yours, but I think you would be more comfortable in the one in the master bedroom." Tanya said.

"Planning on taking a bath with me?" I asked as I fought of my blush from the thoughts of us in the bath together went through my head.

"Every day I plan on it and I personally think I'm very close to doing so." Tanya said then placed a kiss on the side of my neck. "In fact I think tonight will be the night we relax together in nice soothing bath." Tanya said and then placed another kiss on the other side of my neck.

Tanya's hands started to roam at this point. They were sliding up and down my legs and up and down my ribs. Her hands movements coupled with the kisses she keeps placing on either side of my neck, is making doing my job very lucky. It's a good thing I'm dating my boss's sister/coven leader or else I'm sure Kate would love to pretend to write me up for not doing my work.

"What makes you think that?" I asked, sounding a little out of breath.

I felt Tanya's smirk as she kissed me again before answering.

"It's just a feeling. I have to go do paperwork for this place so it doesn't get closed down. Can you please move the rest of the books from the backroom upfront and then start putting them up?" Tanya asked but didn't make any move to get up.

"Ya, I can do that." I answered.

I put the book I had just lifted to place on the shelf back down and leaned back into Tanya. As I leaned back, I unexpectedly found myself lying on the floor instead of leaving against Tanya. I head Tanya laugh from just off to my side and saw her turn the corner. The little jerk; Tanya loves to tease me; I should have figured this would have happened. Fortunately she leaves before I get too worked up; but I'm sure after our first night together that will change. I wish I could say that I wish Tanya would stop doing it; but I love her teasing me.

I slowly got up and cursed her under my breath and threatened not to kiss her for the rest of day (we both know this will never happen) as I walked to the backroom, knowing she would hear every word I was saying. I'm sure if I walked closer to the office where she is I would probably hear her laughing at me.

I easily found the boxes Tanya wanted me to move and my face instantly fell. I had thought that Tanya had already moved all the larger boxes at least to the front; but apparently she moved just the smaller ones. Kate had moved all the books she was going to eventually move to the front into boxes to eventually be moved. I hadn't had a chance to see the boxes yet, so when I saw the ones Tanya carried, which to me were large, I thought she was taking care of the bigger ones. The ones she moved were about half the size of the ones I'm going to have to move.

Luckily they are all on shelves and there are only fifteen boxes. So I don't have to lift them off the ground and I had expected there to be a lot more boxes that fifteen, so I guess that's a plus. I grabbed the cart that can hold two boxes, one on the lower shelf and one on the top to start moving the boxes. I will only put one box on though because I don't think I'll be able to lift the boxes off of the bottom shelf of the cart and I'm not sure I'll be able to get the cart moving with two boxes.

What seemed like forever later, I finally had all the boxes moved and half of them unpacked. This time though I wasn't able to just put them on the lower shelves and sit while I worked, I had book cases that I had to fill from top to bottom. So by then end of my shift, or closing, my muscles were extremely sore and I didn't feel like ever moving them again. Maybe I should ask Emmett to help me work out to build up muscles? I can just picture him laughing hysterically the moment I tried to do anything and end up tripping on my face. I think I'll just wait until I'm a vampire to get strength.

"So, how did you do with moving the boxes?" Tanya asked as I entered the office.

She still had a couple things to finish real quick before we leave so I decided to sit in there and wait for her instead of waiting out front and reading. When Tanya asked her question, I instantly started to glare at her.

"I know you know how it went." I said, trying to sound angry.

She could have moved the heavy boxes instead of the lighter ones, but instead decided to let me do so, so I am a little mad at her. The only reason why I'm completely mad at her is because technically it is my job and I have to do those things anyways and also how can I be mad at Tanya? It is Tanya after all, I don't think it's possible for me to really be mad at her and she knows this.

Tanya looked up from what she was reading and gave me a very innocent look that I'm sure Kate would be jealous of.

"Of course I wouldn't hun; this is the first time we've talked since I started this paperwork." Tanya said in a very innocent tone and the small smile she gave made me want to think she was actually innocent.

I know for a fact that she heard me because I've cursed Kate several times under my breath from the opposite side of the office when she decides to pull pranks on me while I work and I could hear her answering laugh clearly. So there's no doubt in my mind that she hear me.

"You so owe me." I said while narrowing my eyes at her.

"You're right I do and I promise as soon as we get I'll make it up to you." Tanya said with her still innocent smile.

I feel like I got her to agree to easily to pay me back and I don't even know how she'll pay me back. There are several things she can do to make me happy; the best option of course would be a nice make out session. Those always make me happy.

"You have to get my muscles to stop hurting." I said, adding a condition to the debt I'm claiming she owes me.

"I promise I will do so. Kate can actually finish this up tomorrow, why don't we go home and we can get you to relax and get your muscles to calm down as well?" Tanya said as she put the papers she had into a drawer.

"Sure." I said a bit hesitantly.

If I didn't actually want to go home right now to just lie in bed and relax, I would have asked what she has planned. It was only eight in the evening, but since I had started moving the boxes and unloading them practically right after dinner, means I've been doing hard work (for me at least since I have next to no muscles) for the last couple hours.

Tanya drove us straight home in complete silence. I moved the center console out of the way and snuggled up to Tanya's side as she drove. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders as I wrapped an arm around her waist and laid my head on her shoulder. I felt her place a kiss on the top of my head as I relaxed into her body.

When we got home I went straight to my room, I didn't see anyone on my way up, but I didn't have to pass the living room to get to the stairs and I'm sure they're all either in the living room or in their own rooms. Tanya followed up behind me saying out loud for the others that we were both staying up stairs for the rest of the night.

As I started looking for a pair of pajamas to wear, Tanya spoke up from the doorway where she had stayed since we got to my room.

"So, I know the perfect way to get your muscles to calm down." Tanya said with a smirk.

"How so?" I asked.

"Take a bath with me in my bathtub. The hot water will help you to instantly relax and I made sure a while ago that the tub is heated, so the water won't get cold; even with me in it." Tanya said.

I had actually thought of taking a bath, in my own bathtub of course, to relax before going to bed. I've done that a few times and I know for a fact that the water doesn't stay hot nearly as long as I would like it to. At least now I know why Tanya left me the heavy boxes and told me she knew I was going to take a bath with her tonight.

"You win." I said then started to move towards the door and followed her to her room.

Before she turned around to lead me to her room, I saw a huge grin on her face. I could have sworn that I heard Kate yell 'step one done' but her shout wasn't loud enough for me make out the words clearly enough.

Tanya went straight to her bathroom and started getting the bath ready. I've seen it before and I'll admit I would love to have this bathroom. It's insanely large; easily twice as large as mine and when I first saw mine I thought it was big. Not only does Tanya have a bathtub that has more than enough room for us both, but she also has a separate shower that she's stated can fit us both as well; which it can. Overall the bathroom is large and made for two people.

Once the bathtub was full Tanya moved back towards the door; which was just behind me since I have yet to really move into the room and closed it. She put both one hand on my shoulder and her other hand grabbed the cloths I had in my hand and tossed them onto the sink. She then started pushing me closer to the tub.

When we got there she made sure to get as close to me as possible to that I could feel her breasts on my back. She leaned in close to my ear and placed a kiss just below it before speaking.

"If you would like I can undress you." Tanya said, making my face grow red.

For a second I started to have doubts about doing this; but only for a second. Tanya is my girlfriend, my mate; I'm going to be with her forever. I'm going to eventually see her naked and vice-versa, so I can't be shy forever.

"This is just a bath right?" I asked, ignoring her question.

"Just a bath, nothing else; I refuse to make you do anything you don't want to do." Tanya said as she placed another kiss on my neck.

Her hands started playing with the hem of my shirt and every so often her fingertips would graze my skin. Her actions alone make me think she wants more than just a bath; but I know for a fact that what she just told me is true.

"Good." I said quietly, relishing the feeling of having Tanya this close and from the attention she's giving me.

She slowly started to raise my shirt up, slow enough to allow me object, but fast enough to make her intentions clear. My response was to simply raise my hands up. Once my hands were up she then quickly pulled off my shirt. With my shirt off, her hands instantly when to my stomach and started feeling around it. Her hands went as high up my bra and as low as my pants. Everywhere her hands touched on my skin it felt like she was leaving a trail of fire on my body.

Her mouth then attached itself to the side of my neck and started to slowly suck on it. The suction in combination of her tongue that would occasionally lick the spot was making my mind fog over. I vaguely felt her hands leave contact with my skin and start unbuttoning the jeans I had on. I could also just barely hear the zipper of my jeans being slid down. Tanya slowly lowered my jeans, making sure her fingers had as much contact with my legs at the same time. She seemed to refuse to allow her mouth to leave my neck so she simply allowed my jeans to fall to the ground.

A few seconds later I felt her finally pull away from my neck, then after placing a quick kiss to her creation, she slowly turned me around. Tanya made eye contact with me as soon as I turned around. Instead of looking over me, which is what I thought she would do first, she started to undress herself. Unlike with me, she quickly got rid of her shirt and her pants so we were now both in just our underwear.

Unexpectedly I couldn't find myself to blush in embarrassment of being practically naked in front of Tanya. Tanya held eye contact with me for a few more seconds before lowering her eyes to take in my body; I quickly followed suite.

As expected, Tanya's body that I've never seen before is just as pale as the part I have seen. Her stomach is perfectly flat and toned; I actually had to fight the urge to just run my hands over her stomach like she had previously done to me.

My eyes continued their journey back towards her face, but got caught once again on her breasts. I would say they are definitely bigger than mine, but not overly so. Just a few months ago I never would have thought that I would ever have an urge to just touch someone's breasts, but looking at Tanya's, I find myself really wanting to remove her bra and see what it is hiding from me.

Finally pulling away from her chest, I looked back up and locked eyes with Tanya's amused looking ones.

"Are you ready?" She asked, thankfully not teasing me about staring at her. Though I guess she can't do that since she was just doing the same thing; plus I'm sure at the very least Kate will tease me tomorrow.

Without actually answering, Tanya removed her bra and then quickly removed her underwear. I felt my mouth open slightly at her perfect breasts. I mentally shook my head after realizing that Tanya was probably waiting for me to do the same, so moved my hands to unclasp my bra in the back, but I stopped half way when she spoke up.

"Stop, I want to finish what I started." Tanya said; her voice a little deeper than what it was two seconds ago.

Looking back into her eyes I saw they had also darkened slightly as well. Usually with vampires, you should be wary if their eyes get darker, but with Tanya, I know without a doubt that if she had any concerns about not being able to control herself around me she wouldn't be here. I also know that she hunts while I sleep to make sure that we can do stuff like this and she won't lose control. So I'm not one bit afraid that she'll lose control.

Tanya took the necessary steps closer to me so that she was as close to me as she could without actually touching me. She placed her hands on my lower back then slid them up to my bra. She easily unclasped it but held it in place. She then leaned in closer to me and gave me a quick kiss as she pulled the bra off. The quick kiss grew into a heated and I so badly wanted to wrap my hands around Tanya, but with her taking her time pulling off my bra, I couldn't.

Eventually she pulled away from me when I had to breathe and dropped the bra to the floor. This time she broke eye contact quickly and took in my breasts. Her hands when to my stomach and moved upwards, but stopped before they touched my breasts. Her hands then slid down to underwear and she quickly pulled those off. Instead of just allowing those to drop, she pulled them all the way down and ended up kneeling on the ground directly in front of me as I stepped out of the last piece of clothing I had on.

"You are perfect my love." Tanya said as she stared at my most intimate place.

She quickly stood back up and turned me around to face the tub once more. She moved from behind me and climbed into the bath herself and sat down and leaned against the edge. The bubbles she had placed in there kept what I shamelessly was hoping to see from view.

"I really don't mind you standing there for me to look at all night; but these bubbles aren't going to dissolve for you anytime soon and I made this bath for you to relax your muscles. So why don't you join me?" Tanya asked when I just continued to stare at her covered chest for a couple seconds.

Even though I had managed to not blush while we both got undressed and as we both stared at each other; her one comment got me to blush.

"Sorry." I muttered as I climbed into the bath.

I lowered myself into the tub in front of her and sat in between her legs. As soon as I sat down, Tanya had her arms wrapped around me and pulled me as close as possible to her.

"No need to apologize Bella; I love that you want to look at me. I'll admit I was worried that you may not have liked what you saw; but clearly you love my body as I absolutely love yours." Tanya said into my ear.

The rest of the bath was spent in silence. I had my eyes closed and fully leaned against Tanya with my head on her chest. Because of how relaxing it was I actually ended up falling asleep in the tub. I only know this because I woke up as Tanya carried me to her bed. I thought about asking to have her take me to my own bed; but I decided enough is enough and to just give in to what we both want.

"You win." I sleepily mumbled; knowing Tanya would know what I mean.

"I know." Tanya said from behind me as she cuddled into my body.

I barely registered the smugness she had in her voice before I fell asleep.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so hopefully the bath scene is good. I've said earlier that I've never actually written scenes like this; meaning I've never really written any type of intimate scene. So hopefully this turned out all right. This is rated 'M' for a reason, so eventually I will wright the scene with them having sex for the first time. So a scene like this is just practice for me for the big scene that hopefully I won't screw up too badly.**

**I don't think there will be too many more chapters for this story. I already have planned out Victoria will come in and how she'll die as well how Bella will become a vampire and live happily ever after; so I'm pretty sure there aren't that many chapters left. That being said, I will most likely within the next couple days probably, post the story I had the poll up. Kate wins (this story will have nothing to do with the song fic one I have up right now, that one will be updated slowly) and after that one I'll probably do an Esme one. **


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

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><p>I woke up the next morning feeling so much better than I ever thought I would when waking up early in the morning. The bath last night definitely helped me to completely relax. The fact that I went to sleep in Tanya's arms also helped.<p>

I woke up with my body on top of Tanya's; using her chest as the most perfect pillow ever. My arms were somewhat awkwardly tucked under her shoulders and her arms were wrapped around me. I could help but take a deep breath of Tanya's amazing scent before slowly lifting my head to look into her eyes.

"Good morning Bella; did you sleep alright?" Tanya asked, the love she has for me showing clearly in her eyes.

If I wasn't so groggy still I'm sure my eyes would hold the same affection for her. As it is, she can't expect much from me two seconds after waking up.

"I did; I'll have to have baths with you more often." I said as I lowered my head back down to rest again on her chest.

Tanya's chest bounced a little as she chuckled at my answer.

"I know you; I believe you said that a couple times as you slept." Tanya said; amusement clear in her tone.

I groaned a little at that comment. I'm still deciding if losing my clumsiness or losing the ability to talk in my sleep, since I won't sleep at all, while be the best part of being a vampire.

"I can't wait until I'm a vampire, then I won't say anything embarrassing that I don't want others to hear." I mumbled.

"Kate says she's positive that you'll still be able to put your foot in your mouth; that being asleep only makes it happen more often." Tanya said.

I chose not to say anything to that because I honestly don't know what I would say that wouldn't just prove Kate right or make me sound immature. It's still too early for me to have any real banter with Kate; not that it's really banter any other time since it's usually Kate doing most of the jabs, but still… too early.

Tanya and I stayed silent for a few minutes. I didn't want to go back to sleep because I could smell breakfast cooking downstairs and it was making me hungry; but I also don't want to leave from my very comfortable spot laying on Tanya. The most important reason I didn't want to move though was because shortly after we stopped talking, I realized something very embarrassing that I'm a little shocked I didn't notice earlier: I'm naked.

The only thing covering me is the sheet that is only up to my waist. I'm surprised that I didn't realize that I felt Tanya's cold holds a little more than normal. I guess this is what happens when I fall asleep while taking a bath with her. I should have known that Tanya wouldn't have bother putting cloths on me. The only plus side to this is that Tanya also seemed to not bother with putting cloths on. So her chest that I'm using as a pillow; yup, I can see it all. I hate to admit it, but I have a very good and up close view of them right and if I were to give in to my inner perviness that I'm sure exists in everyone in some way or another; I would admit that part of the reason for me not wanting to move is because of the breasts currently holding up my head.

"I have something for you." Tanya said in a calm and relaxed voice; almost lazy sounding if that's possible.

I barely held in my groan of annoyance; I don't understand what is with vampires and wanting to give me lots of gifts; I really don't. Before I could open my mouth to say some sort of argument about Tanya getting me something; Tanya spoke up again.

"This is something that I've gotten all my family and it's something I really want you to have." Tanya said.

That got me to shut up. She was very serious about this gift and I could tell instantly that I shouldn't even attempt to decline it. Whatever she is giving me is very important to her. Tanya sat up, effectively moving me to straddle her lap. She leaned over and pulled something from behind the pillow. I guess Tanya had this all planned.

Even though right now both Tanya and I are completely naked and I'm straddling her lap; with the look in Tanya's eyes I couldn't find myself to be the slightest embarrassed. It took more self-control than I thought necessary to not look at her and from what I could tell she was going through the same issues of not looking at me. We both kept our eyes locked onto each other as Tanya handed me a box.

"Before you open it, I want to explain something to you." Tanya said.

"Okay." I said as I lowered the box and gave her my full attention again.

"Vampires and humans have very different means of accepting others into their families. Humans tend to get married and take on each other's names. To them, that is what makes them a family, a coven. To vampires, most of us started off as nomads. As a nomad, you only have one name; so there's no last name to give another. So instead of names making a coven; we have a crest. I believe it's similar to a humans' family crest; but I believe that tradition is all but dead these days. When I became head of this coven, I created my own crest. Irina, Kate, Carmen and Eleazar all have one.

Irina has her crest as a ring, Kate's is a bracelet, Carmen's is the hair pin you see her wear and Eleazar's is a ring as well. This is yours, if you want it of course." Tanya said.

I felt tears start to fall down my face. I know we've talked about getting married and Tanya said we could do whatever I wanted. To Tanya, this is her version of getting married. I opened the box and inside was a beautiful silver necklace. The only thing attached to the chain was the crest itself carved beautifully into metal. I took the necklace out of the box and looked back to Tanya. She was giving me the most intense stare she's ever given me.

She doesn't look nervous, she looks very confident. She looks like the confident coven leader I fell in love with. It seems as if the thought of me possible declining hasn't even crossed her mind.

"Can you put it on?" I asked.

Tanya gave me a breath taking smile and with speed that I can't wait to obtain had me turned around and sitting in between her legs as she put the necklace on me. Once the necklace was on, she started kissing the same spot that she was very fascinated in yesterday.

"I'm going to miss being able to leave my mark on you." Tanya said as she pulled away from my neck.

This gave me the chance to turn around and attack her lips. I had to somehow show her my appreciation and what better way than to kiss her senseless? At least that was plan until someone knocked on the door.

"Breakfast is ready Bella." Carmen said loudly through the door.

I slightly deflated against Tanya at the fact that Carmen ruined the mood. Tanya laughed as she pulled us both off the bed.

"She only did that because the Cullen's will be back in about half an hour; all of them and the family wants a chance to congratulate us before they get here." Tanya said as she made her way to the closet.

I almost didn't catch what she said because I swear she was moving her hips a little more than normal and for the life of me I couldn't take my eyes off them. Before Tanya turned around though, I managed to pull my eyes away and move towards her dresser.

"I'm going to wear your cloths, if you don't mind. Where did they go?" I asked as I pulled out half an outfit from the drawers I was looking through.

"What's mine is yours, you know this. The Cullen's all went hunting at my request. I told them what I was doing and they agreed to give us a little privacy; but they ran into Edward and apparently he has news for us all to hear; so they are all on their way back." Tanya said.

I turned around to go to the closet to get a shirt and as soon as I did I got a face full of shirt. I guess Tanya thinks I should wear this one; not that I care because I happen to actually the shirt. When I pulled the shirt off, Tanya was sitting on the bed, fully dressed and giving me her full attention.

"You could have taken your time." I mumbled as I made my way to the bathroom.

"And take more time away from staring at you with nothing blocking view? I don't think so." Tanya said.

I felt her eyes on the whole way to the bathroom and only when I shut the door did the feeling of being watched leave me. I got ready as fast as I safely could and once dressed, met Tanya back in the bedroom.

"I'll have to move all my stuff in here." I complained as I walked out.

"Or you could just wear my cloths all the time; I happen to find you even more sexy wearing my cloths." Tanya said with a smirk; making me roll my eyes at her.

"Of course you would." I said.

Tanya held the door open for me as I left the bedroom with her right behind me.

"You know, since we have that extra room now; we can have Esme and Alice turn it into an actual library for you." Tanya said as we walked downstairs.

I paused for a couple seconds in our decent down the stairs, shook my head and the continued walking. At least now I know why Tanya was fighting against me making any actually solid plans with Esme and Alice about remodeling my old room.

"You had this planned from the beginning didn't you?" I asked Tanya once we reached the bottom of the stairs.

"When it comes to you Bella, I have everything planned." Tanya said in a very seductive voice.

Great, that probably means that Tanya already has planned how we will have sex for the first time. I'll be honest it's a little creepy that she would have it planned out; but with how I did my best to avoid Tanya in the beginning, I guess I can understand. Tanya just wants to make sure she gets what she wants and she's made it clear that she wants me. It's a good thing I want her to or her plans could be bad.

When we got to the living room, I found myself immediately wrapped into Carmen's arms.

"We are all so happy that you accepted our crest Bella; welcome to the family." Carmen said; her eyes filled with tears of joy that would never fall.

The others all gave me hugs and said in their own way about how happy they are that I'm now officially part of their family. Kate may have mentioned that now that I'm her sister she gets full access to teasing me even more without the others holding her back; that's when I decided it was time to go eat.

As I finished eating, I heard the front door open and lots of talking; the Cullen's arrived. I put the dishes up, deciding to clean them later after hearing what Edward has to tell us, and both Tanya and myself made our way to the living room.

Tanya wrapped her arm possessively around my waist and immediately pulled me into the love seat with her. Edward was there; his eyes only slightly darkened. He looked at me and then looked at Tanya. Whatever Tanya was telling him caused Edward to flinch and then he nodded his head.

"What news do you have for us son?" Carlisle asked.

I know the Cullen's all saw the necklace with the Denali crest on it, because I saw all of them look at it; but none of them commented on it.

"I went back to Forks, to visit some places that held happier memories." Edward said.

I instantly knew what he was talking about. He went to our meadow, the same meadow I had gone to and saw the first wolves; the one where the pack saved me.

"Tell them Edward; it's no longer just your fight." Alice said with a not to subtle glance to Tanya.

That glance caused both Tanya and I to tense up slightly. I bet I know exactly what happened; or at least what he saw.

"I know." Edward said; sounding like the most depressed person on the planet. "I didn't actually see her, but I did hear her thoughts. Victoria knows you're not in Forks anymore; she's coming here to find you." Edward said.

The Cullen's all gasped in surprise, but the Denali's all growled.

"Alice, can you see anything?" Tanya growled out, immediately taking charge.

"She hasn't made any concrete plans. She plans on staying around the area but not to close. I think she plans on just watching and waiting for a moment of weakness." Alice said.

"I think we should wait until she proves herself to be a threat. I don't want us to fight if we can avoid it." Carlisle said; of course he would try to pick the peaceful road.

"That's stupid Carlisle. Clearly Victoria wants Bella dead because she see's killing Bella revenge for killing her mate. I doubt Victoria would just change her mind." Kate said.

Carlisle looked like he was about to argue about it; but Irina cut him off.

"Would you forgive and forget Esme's killer? Or would you seek revenge?" Irina asked in all her bluntness.

Carlisle's face went from anger to sadness then finally to understanding. Tanya took this as her cue to continue taking charge.

"I want her dead before she gets close to Bella. We have the advantage of a larger group against just her." Tanya said.

"I'm not sure it'll be that easy. She has a gift of survival; that's why she didn't go with James when he went after Bella. Her gift prevented her." Edward said.

"It's a good power; but not one that makes her unbeatable." Eleazar said.

"We have a seer, a mind reader, and empath, a vampire version of someone on steroids; plus me. I think with all our powers, we can beat her." Kate said.

"Alice, do you best to narrow down her position. Once we have a location, we'll send out Edward to verify where she is and keep tabs on her. When he finds her, he will call us in. Carmen and Eleazar, can you two stay here with Bella?" Tanya asked.

"Do you plan on finding her now?" I asked.

"As soon as Alice does." Tanya said.

I looked over to Alice and her eyes looked glossed over; she's already working.

"Of course we will; we'll keep her safe." Eleazar said.

"Myself, Edward, Jasper, Emmett and Kate should be enough to take her on with her gift. The others can set up a perimeter in case she completely gets away from us, they can follow her and get us re-grouped." Tanya said.

It's seems that she's not going to take any chances with letting Victoria get away. Everyone nodded their agreements to Tanya's plan. I'm actually surprised that Esme with all her motherly goodness accepted this plan so easily. I wanted to be surprised at Rosalie accepting the plan as well; but then I decided that she only agreed to help because she has nothing better to do.

So now all we have to do is sit and wait for Alice to find Victoria.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay; so hopefully this doesn't seemed rushed. But I personally feel it was really stupid of the Cullen's to not act faster when they saw what was happening in Seattle. Personally I feel they should have gone in to exactly what was happening before it got to the attention of the Volturi. Wouldn't they have wanted to avoid the Volturi at all costs anyways because of Bella? I think so; so that's what I did here.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p><strong>Bella's PoV:<strong>

Since the Cullen's got here, everyone seems so tense. They all seem ready to jump into action at a moment's notice. Not once did any ones' eyes stray from Alice. Edward seemed particularly focused on Alice; from the smug look on Kate's and Tanya's faces I'm not sure if I should feel sorry for him or not. I had thought about moving to go do something, whether it would be reading a book or watching T.V., but every time I move, even just to get more comfortable, Tanya tenses and holds me tighter against her.

Even though she seems calm and collected; I can tell that she's really nervous for what is about to happen. Knowing Victoria's gift doesn't make her any less dangerous. They all seem intent on just watching Alice, waiting for her to give the okay to go hunt down Victoria.

It's only been a couple hours since we started this waiting game; but I'm so ready for it to be over with. I'm sure if it wasn't for the fact that I'm curled up against Tanya right now; I would actually put more of an effort to leave. I'm so comfortable that I want to fall asleep; but every time I feel myself about to nod off, Tanya would move our positions. The movement is enough to keep me awake.

"Found her." Alice said; the glazed over look in her eye's now fading.

Everyone seemed to sit straight; or stand if they were standing, and waited for Alice and/or Edward to say where Victoria is.

"We don't know the exact location; but Tanya the mountain that you took Bella to, that's where she'll be soon." Edward said.

It took me a couple seconds to realize how Edward knew about that. I guess Tanya felt it was important to show Edward our date; hopefully Tanya didn't give him too much information; like about the bath we shared. I don't think I could get over the embarrassment of someone else besides Tanya seeing me.

"Okay; you guys follow us, we'll take you there. There others that won't be fighting right away; just tale us and when we get there, you guys can fan out." Tanya said as and the others started to leave.

Tanya stood, pulling me up with her, wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me closer to her. She rested her forehead against mine as I wrapped my arms around her neck.

"We'll find her and then kill her." Tanya said with certainty.

"I know, and then you'll come back to me in once piece." I said with just as much certainty.

"With so many of us against her, there's no way one of us will get hurt." Tanya said.

"There's still a chance; just promise me you won't get hurt please." I practically begged her.

Tanya is right; with so many of them going against just one other vampire; this will probably be over quickly. Still, the thought of Tanya going out to hunt someone down and then fight with them to kill them, it makes me nervous. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of Victoria; but I can't help but to prefer everyone gets hurt over Tanya. It sounds mean I know, but what can I say I love Tanya more, a lot more, than the others.

"I promise." Tanya said.

Instead of Tanya pulling me into a kiss, I pulled her into one. I threaded my hands through her hair to behind her head to pull her as close as possible to me. The moment our lips touched, everything else around me seemed to fade. It was only me and Tanya. Tanya pulled my hips closer to hers and I felt a need start to rise in my lower stomach.

I had every intention of not stopping; but when I heard a loud 'that's hot' followed by a loud smack, both Tanya and I pulled away.

"Perhaps we will continue this when we don't have an audience?" Tanya asked with a smirk.

"Y-ya, I think we should." I stuttered, trying to get my breathing under control and my face back to a normal color.

Tanya gave me a quick kiss and left before I even had time to respond. I am now left with Carmen and Eleazar while we wait for the others to come back.

"If you would like Bella, while we wait we can go over what you would like to do to your old room; it will keep us busy while we wait." Carmen suggested.

I quickly agreed and the three of us started planning out what we want to do with the room.

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><p><strong>Tanya's PoV:<strong>

I ran as fast as I could, leading everyone towards where I took Bella for our first date. I had really wanted to take her here again for another date, but my feelings for this place have changed now that I will fight Vitoria here. I don't want to take Bella on a romantic date where something this bad happened; that's not very romantic.

"This is place; it looked just like this." Alice said from behind me.

I stopped immediately at her words. I heard the others move to create a large circle around the general location. To make sure we covered as much space as possible, the ones that created to circle were only just in hearing range of those on either side of them. This would give us the best coverage of the area.

"How much time Alice?" I asked, just loud enough for her to hear since I don't want Victoria to hear or see us before we can get her cornered.

There were a seconds of silence, I'm guessing Alice is checking her visions to be able to give me a better answer.

"Not too much longer; maybe ten minutes." Alice said.

"I think I should confront Victoria first; before you all make your appearance. She's expecting me to watch over Bella. She'll know even faster that something is up if she see's someone else." Edward said.

I had stopped in the clearing where I had made a picnic for Bella and the others were hidden amongst the trees. I really want to be the one to kill her; if I have to say that as loud as I can in my head and repeatedly I will to make sure Edward leaves her death to me. Bella is my mate; I get to ensure her safety; especially since Edward already failed.

"I understand Tanya; you get to behead her." Edward said.

I better. We both switched places, so that Edward was out in the open and I was now hidden. Now we just have to wait for Victoria to get here.

Just off to the side, in Jasper's general area, I could barely hear movement. Someone's coming this way, it better be Victoria. I saw Edward give a small nod of his to indicate that I was right in thinking it better Victoria, she's almost here.

No sooner did I think that, did I see a red head vampire run into the clearing. She stood at the opposite side from where Edward stood. It took all my will power that I could muster to not growl at her or even make a move in her direction to attack. We have to stick to the plan or her gift will make it too easy for her to get away.

"Did you think a change of location would keep her safe?" Victoria asked, sounding smug.

Just because I can't growl, doesn't mean Edward can't. He gave Victoria a warning growl, one of irritation. He held his position though; we need Victoria to stay just a little longer so that the others, that are farther away than I am, can get closer without Victoria hearing.

"No, I believe killing you would keep her safe." Edward growled at her.

Don't make threats Edward! If she feels threatened she will run and get away. Just another minute max and we can attack.

"Ha, I doubt a child like you could kill me." Victoria said.

It seems like she still thinks it's only Edward out here. Either Victoria is really stupid in thinking that or she knows Edward isn't alone and she banking on her gift to get her out of trouble. From the corner of my eye I can see Kate, which means we're all close enough to attack. Perfect.

"But someone like me would have no problems." I said as I walked into the clearing.

Victoria looked startled, but only for a second. Maybe her gift told her she wasn't alone but her senses couldn't sense anything?

"She has the urge to run, that she's in a dangerous position right now." Edward said, clearing things up for me.

So that's good. She doesn't there are more of us out here. She only knows that she's in danger; I can work with that.

"This is between me and the boy; you have no claim here." Victoria told me.

"I do have claim here; this is my land if you haven't noticed. But more importantly, the human you're after; she's mine. I don't like there being threats against my mate." I growled at Victoria.

Once again I seemed to have caught her off guard. Her eyes widened slightly at the information and she started to slowly back away. Her movement to escape pulled Kate out from her hiding spot.

"You won't be going anywhere today." Kate said; sounding serious for once in her life.

No one messes with our family and expects to get away with it. This vendetta she seems to have with Edward and Bella will end today with her death. I'll make sure of it.

"Look, all I want is revenge for my mate; that's all. Surely you can understand that?" Victoria said, trying to reason with us.

"I know you're not deaf because you're a vampire, so I know you heard Tanya when she said Bella is her mate. Life threats against mates aren't taken too kindly amongst our kind; as I'm sure you know." Kate said.

"She's trying to buy time so that she can think of a way to escape." Edward said.

That's all I needed to hear. I don't know how her gift works. Does she simply need time for her gift to give her an escape route? Or is she trying to come up with a way on her own because her gift has failed her? I don't know and I don't really care to find out.

I rushed forward as fast as I could and tackled Victoria head on. She may not have been able to dodge me, but she was able to brace for it. As soon as we collided, we immediately started wrestling; each of us trying to gain the upper hand. We each tried desperately to claw at each other, to try and leave the biggest mark on the other.

My instincts were screaming at me to take Victoria down on my own. It's my mate that is in trouble that's being hunted; it's my job to kill the hunter. I want to be the one that disposes of this threat; I don't want anyone else to do so.

Logically though, I realize that if I take her on by myself and don't accept any help; chances are she'll get away. I doubt she would be able to get past the others; but there's still a chance. I have her occupied now; she needs to be dealt with now.

As soon as the though crosses my mind I hear Edward call out to Emmett, Jasper and Kate to help. I let my guard down, thinking this would now be an easy fight and Victoria was able to bite the base of my neck. The effect of her venom affecting me was almost was almost instant. I felt the paralysis spread throughout my body.

As my grip faded on her, allowing her to slip away, Edward replaced me. She quickly started struggling against him and I thought for a second that she would have gotten away, but Jasper, Emmett and Kate showed up and stopped her. She was caught.

"Quickly, before I can't; bring her here." I said.

I stumbled towards them; very intent on finishing this before I could no longer move.

"I don't think you'll be able to break the neck Tanya; not by yourself." Kate said.

I ignored her and gripped Victoria's head; she started shouting obscene things that only a desperate person on the verge of being killed would shout. I pulled as hard as I could, but I could only cause cracks to appear on her neck; I can't break it.

"Let Kate help Tanya; Bella's her sister, you both want to get rid of victoria." Emmett said.

I only nodded briefly and Kate quickly added her hands to Victoria's head and together we beheaded her.

"Here you go ma'am." Jasper said as he handed me a lighter.

We'll have to be careful about not lighting the whole forest on fire; but that's what the Cullen's can do. Irina and Kate need to get me back to Bella once this is over. I couldn't exactly tell them this, but thanks to Edwards' privacy invading gift, the message got to everyone. Emmett was already on the phone calling the others.

With a flick of my wrist, the lighter was lit and tossed it at Victoria's body and head. As soon as the fire touched her body, it was engulfed in flames. It seems like it was perfect timing because this is also the time that my legs gave out on me and Kate had to catch me.

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><p><strong>Bella's PoV:<strong>

We were in the middle of going through one of the magazines Esme left here when Carmen and Eleazar both froze. They were clearly listening to something, something a little ways off.

"Victoria is dead Bella." Eleazar said.

The look they were both giving me though was one of concern. I thought the goal was to kill Victoria, so shouldn't we be happy right now? Unless… what aren't they telling me? Did something happen to Tanya? Did Victoria manage to get past everyone and kill her? I need to see Tanya.

I stood up quickly off the couch I was sitting on in between Eleazar and Carmen and started to make my way towards the front door. Before I could even take two steps Carmen was in front of me.

"Tanya will be fine. She was bitten by Victoria and the venom spread throughout her body." Carmen said.

"Is that bad?" I choked out.

I can feel myself slipping into a panic attack. Venom, can it kill? Just the word sounds bad. I know it can turn a human into a vampire; which is technically killing them. So can venom kill another vampire as well?

"No, it only paralyzes a vampire for a short period of time. I don't believe Tanya was injected with much venom. Kate and Irina are here with her." Eleazar said.

True to his words, I heard the door open and I made my way to it. I saw them climb the stairs, but I couldn't see Tanya. I followed as quickly as I could; only tripping once which Carmen was nice enough to catch me. I followed them to my room and saw Kate lay Tanya on the bed.

Tanya looks like a corpse. Her paleness, not moving, if I didn't know better I would have thought so. What my eyes are seeing and what my brain knows are contradicting each other though. I felt tears fall down my face as I made my way to Tanya.

"She'll be fine Bella; I give her an hour tops before she's back to normal." Irina said.

"She fought like a champ though; you should be proud and happy that this is the only injury she received. Victoria wasn't nearly skilled enough to go against Tanya." Kate said.

"We're going to go make sure the fire was properly put out. Then we will all go hunting; so we'll be gone for a few hours Tanya; use the time however you all want to." Irina said as they all filed out of the room. Once I heard the door click shut, I crawled into bed and cuddled next to Tanya.

"You promised you wouldn't get hurt Tanya; you broke your promise." I told her.

Even though she can't answer me, she can still hear me. I can't help but still be worried though. What if she doesn't get better; what if something goes wrong? What if it was worse? I don't know what I would have done if I lost Tanya. Just thinking about losing her makes me feel worse than when I had actually lost Edward.

I was stopped mid-thought as I felt strong, cold arms wrap around me. I turned my head, since I was using Tanya's chest as a pillow again, and saw two golden eyes looking back at me. I felt a sudden wave of relief hit me and my face broke out into a giant grin.

I pulled myself up Tanya and kissed her as hard as I could. Once again taking the initiative, I traced Tanya's bottom lip with my tongue, asking permission to enter. She giggled slightly, but opened her mouth none the less. My tongue was quick to enter her mouth and meet with Tanya's tongue. The battle of dominance started and as quick as it started, I quickly lost. Not that I mind of course, I'm just as happy to be kissing Tanya.

As is customary, when I couldn't hold my breath any longer, Tanya ended the kiss. She placed a few more kisses around my face as I gathered my breath.

"Well, hello to you to." Tanya said with a smirk once my breathing was back to normal.

"Don't ever do that again." I told Tanya, trying my best to sound as serious as possible.

"Don't do what kiss? I'm afraid I can't agree to that; I'll force my kisses on you if I must." Tanya said; her smirk still in place.

I simply rolled my eyes at her answer. Of course Tanya would take the opportunity to tease me.

"Don't get hurt again; I don't like it." I told her, her eyes instantly growing softer and her smirk fell off her face.

"Trust me, I didn't like it either. I didn't want to get hurt; I tried not to. It wasn't anything serious and I'm already completely back to normal." Tanya said.

"I know, but I was worried. I couldn't help but think about all that what if's." I told her.

"I'm sorry; but you don't have to worry anymore." Tanya said.

I smiled at her, there's no way I could drag out my anger at her, and laid my head back down on her chest. She had one hand around my waist and the other went to stroke through my hair as we laid in silence. It stayed this way for a few minutes until Tanya spoke up.

"You know, we have the house to ourselves for a few hours still." Tanya said, her voice sounding just slightly deeper.

"I know, I was there when we were told." I told her.

"I'm sure, if needed, Alice would see we would want more time alone and we could have the rest of today to ourselves here and possible well into the evening." Tanya said.

I looked back up at her and silently asked her what she wanted.

"I have you alone in our bed; I just fought to keep you safe and you just waited for me to get all healed up. What do you think I want?" Tanya asked.

I felt blood rush to my face at her question. That wasn't the only reason to cause my blush though; I find that what she's offering isn't necessarily something I want to decline. I've only known for maybe a month or so, not that long at all; and yet I'm already willing to have sex with her. A few years ago, I never would have thought I would be in this situation.

"I've done this before." I said, my voice sounding slightly huskier.

I saw Tanya's eyes grow blacker at my words.

"By the time we're done, you'll be an expert." Tanya said.

Without waiting for a response she flipped us over so that she was now straddling me on the bed.

"You have nothing to worry about Bella; I would never do anything to hurt you or anything you don't want to do. I promise, you'll enjoy this." Tanya said with the biggest smirk I've seen on her yet.

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><p><strong>AN: I was really tempted to not end it here; but I find that I have to. The main reason being that I'm not confident enough yet to write the next scene and I'm running out of time to write tonight; hopefully tomorrow it will be up.**

**Also, I hate writing fighting scenes, so as you can tell, I wrote hopefully at least the bare basics and left it at that. **

**I know these last few chapters have picked up the pace of the story; but it's only because like I said in the beginning; I like the beginning of stories, of the person fighting to get their other half. After that's done, I usually just stop reading the story lol. So I wanted to get this part done and start on the Kate/Bella one I'll be doing next. So ya; I'm thinking about two more chapters for this; in case anyone cares.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Tanya cupped my face in both her hands and leaned in as close as she could without actually touching me. I can feel her breath sweep over my lips as we both stare deeply into each-others' eyes. I can feel every part of Tanya that is touching me as she sits straddled on me as I lay on our bed. My hands are tangled in her hair, waiting for the moment our lips do touch.<p>

"I want this, I always have; but if you're not ready, I will be more than happy to wait." Tanya said, giving me an out.

I know beyond a doubt that I want Tanya. I want her to be my first and my only partner. She's already seen me naked, so I shouldn't be worried about that. I have this need to touch her, to be closer to her. There's no reason that I can think of that I shouldn't take the next step right now. It's not like I have to worry about becoming pregnant or anything or even just anyone walking in on us.

Right now seems like the perfect time for us to have sex for the first time. The only thing that makes me hesitant is my lack of knowledge. I'm a virgin, I know she knows this; I'm concerned about what I if I don't do something right. What if I can't make her feel as good as she's expecting. Even more frightenedly, what if I get grossed out by something she might want me to do?

"I want this to; but…" I said trailing off, more than nervous about actually voicing my concerns.

Tanya smiled at me knowingly and gave me a kiss. Tanya bit my lower lip before pulling away to talk again.

"You'll be perfect. Trust me when I say, I can and will teach you everything you need to know. Most will be instinct either way." Tanya said.

"Okay." I said, not really knowing what else to say at this moment.

"Lesson one: clothes, although they can be nice at times, are at this time are completely not wanted." Tanya said.

She leaned in for another kiss and sat straight up, while pulling me up with her. With her in my lap, she finally released my head and I felt her hands slide their way down my chest and stomach and grab onto the hem of my shirt. When breathing became a problem, we pulled apart, but Tanya was quick to attach her lips to my neck.

With the sensation of just kissing Tanya and now the attention she's giving my neck, I could barely register the fact that she was raising my shirt. She kept her mouth attached to my neck, where I'm sure I'll find another hickey tomorrow there, until the last second.

"Up," She said as she let go of my neck.

I didn't even realize that I wasn't helping Tanya to take my shirt off by keeping my hands wrapped around her neck and tangled in her hair. I followed her directions and started to lift my arms as she told me, but I only got half way when I heard my shirt ripping in half.

"Too slow; we'll get you another one later." Tanya said distractedly as she threw my shirt over her shoulder.

With my shirt off, I decided to be bold; since I knew Tanya would eventually have to be naked also, I grabbed the hem of her shirt and lifted it off of her. Unlike me, she didn't need me to tell her to lift her arms; she was more than willing to do so.

I know I've seen her naked before; but not in this kind of setting. I also know that at this point in time, she still has her bra on so technically I can't see her breasts all that clearly; but still, it's a very nice sight. Deciding to be bold once again, I moved to take off her bra. Luckily, the clasp was in front so I didn't have to worry about not being able to unclasp her bra because I couldn't see what I was doing.

As soon as I unclasped her bra, Tanya took control back at attached her lips back onto mine. I got so distracted from her sudden kiss that I didn't even fight when she moved my hands away from her chest to take the bra off herself. I also barely registered the fact that Tanya managed to unclasp my bra and as she lowered us back to a laying position, had taken my bra off. We were both now completely topless and pressed against each other.

The feeling of her chest pressed against mine is much better than I would have ever though. I can even feel her nipples get harder… well harder than what her skin already feels like. The combination of our positions, lack of clothing, promise of what's to come and simply the fact that her body is cold, I felt my own nipples get hard as well.

Tanya let my lips go when I needed to breathe again and started to kiss my jaw line. I felt her hands rub along my stomach and just barley touching the base of my breasts, but not daring to actually touch them. My own hands seemed to be clawing at Tanya's back from the sensations she was causing in me.

Without warning I suddenly felt my entire half of my body get a blast of cold wind before an equally cold body straddled me again. It took a couple seconds for me to realize that I was no longer wearing my pants or underwear and either was Tanya. She was back in her same position, though now her kissed were starting to trail downwards and were now at my collarbone.

"I got impatient; sorry." Tanya said, not at all sounding sorry.

I opened my mouth to respond, just to tell her that I don't mind at all; but when I started to talk instead of words coming out, I ended up moaning. Tanya's mouth found my breast. Her mouth engulfed my nipple and she started sucking on it. I can feel her tongue occasionally flicking over the top. To top off what her mouth was doing, once of her hands made sure that my other breast was taken care of as well.

"Tanya." I gasped out.

I don't know why I felt the need to say her name; but for some reason I couldn't not say it. My hands decided to have a mind of their own and went from being on her back to her breasts. Tanya was more than happy to slightly adjust her position to allow room for my wandering hands. They felt so soft to me, even though I know vampire's skin is hard as rock.

Tanya gently bit down on my nipple that she had in her mouth before moving her mouth to the other one. I never imagined that getting bit there would feel so nice. Instead of the pain that I expected to feel; the small nip she took only gave me a feeling of pleasure. Taking my cue from her, I took both her nipples in between my thumb and finger and pinched.

"Harder." Tanya gasped out from around my breast as she continued to suck on it.

I blushed slightly at the almost pleading sound Tanya made. I forgot that with her strength, I can't be gentle with her like she has to be with; I have to be rougher, just for her to feel it. So as hard as I could I pinched her nipples; earning a small moan from Tanya. I couldn't help but smile in satisfaction that I made her make that noise.

With a small nip at my nipple Tanya release my breast and looked straight at me. Her hands started running up and down my sides as she gave me a smirk.

"Enjoying yourself?" Tanya asked.

Even though she had slightly sat up, I kept my hands firmly attached to her breasts; I hadn't even thought about releasing them since they felt so right in my hands. My face quickly turned red and I removed my hands from her.

"The fun is just about to begin honey." Tanya said with a wink.

She slid herself down my body. She lowered her mouth back down to my breasts and gave them each a peck from her lips and then she started trailing kisses down stomach. Her hands, seemingly not able to keep still, kept roaming all over from my breasts, to my stomach and even to my thighs. When Tanya got to my hips; she stayed there and gently bit me there. Not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to leave a mark.

Again, I never once thought I would enjoy it; but Tanya leaving marks on me only seemed to turn me on even more. My hands, still thinking on their own, wrapped themselves in Tanya's hair and started directing her head lower to where I want her.

Once my hands were on her head, I felt Tanya' breath in the one place no one has ever seen before. I fought as hard as I could to not let my embarrassment show about Tanya literally seeing everything, but I could still feel my face get a little hot.

"You smell and look beautiful. I bet you taste just as good." Tanya said.

My eyes widened slightly at her words. Of course, being a hormonal teenager than went to public school, I knew about people going down on people; but I never once though Tanya would do that. The only thing I could ever think about when I heard about was how awful it must taste.

I felt Tanya's tongue take a giant lick from my lower lips to my clit; making my shiver in pleasure. I heard her moan slightly from just licking me before I felt her attack my clit. She started to lick and suck at what seemed to me the same time. The pleasure caused every fear and worry in my head to completely go out the window.

The pleasure from just what she was doing now was more than anything I had ever felt before. I didn't even try to stop the noises coming out of my mouth. I moaned with no restraint and she continued to ravish me. I felt myself starting to grind against her face; looking for any kind of friction. I felt her giggle against my clit before I felt her enter me with a finger.

I instantly tightened my grip I had on her hair and did my best not to yell out Tanya's name. I felt her finger gliding in and out of me with such ease and the pleasure it was giving me once again made me think it couldn't get better. Once again, Tanya proved me wrong; I felt her add another finger and filling me up even more.

Her fingers seemed to speed up slightly with the added finger. Her mouths attention on my clit never once slowing down and seamlessly keeping pace with her fingers; it was an amazing feeling. When she added a third finger, I had to fight to keep my eyes open from all the pleasure she was giving me. With the third finger, she started pumping in and out of me even faster.

"Cum Isabella." Tanya said right before she bit down on my clit.

I don't know how I was able to at just her command; but my orgasm hit me like a train. I felt myself arch off the bed and I started seeing stars as Tanya helped me ride out my orgasm. I could no longer focus and think about what she was doing to me beyond the fact that she was still giving me apt attention as she licked up everything that came out of me.

After what seemed like forever, finally collapsed back down onto the bed in a complete daze. I felt Tanya's fingers leave me and then felt her crawl up to lay next to me. As she came within my line of vision, I saw her licking my juices off of her fingers. What surprised me though, was that there was blood on her fingers. Sensing my concern she started to explain as she cuddled up next to me.

"You were a virgin Bella; I broke your hymen. I made sure to do so when you orgasmed though so that hopefully you wouldn't feel any pain. From what it looked like, you didn't; which is good." Tanya said.

"But, my blood…" I said.

I couldn't really complete my sentence since I'm still trying to catch my breath. I'm sure Tanya knows what I mean; it's kind of obvious.

"Is delicious; but there's no way I would allow myself to lose control with you Bella. So don't worry about it." Tanya said.

If I was in trouble, I'm sure Alice would have seen a vision and would have been here already. Also, if it was a problem, I would most likely already be dead or started the process to be turned by now. Most importantly though, Tanya is my mate and if she says she's fine with my blood, then I believe her without a doubt.

After a minute of catching my breath and just basking in what just happened, I decided it's time I returned the favor. Hesitantly I moved slightly away from Tanya and straddled her lap like she had done to me not so long ago. Looking down at her and seeing her pitch black eyes filled with lust, I couldn't help but lick my lips and allow my excitement about what I'm about to do show on my face.

"Do you want something Bella?" Tanya asked in a husky voice.

"I want you." I said before I attacked her lips and started to do everything she did to me to her.

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><p>It was mid-day the next day that I woke up entwined with Tanya. I had my legs tangled with hers, my arms were very loosely wrapped around her waist and my head was once again using her breasts as a pillow. As I woke up I tightened my grip around her waist and snuggled my head more into the best pillow I've ever had.<p>

"I'm all for going again; but I should probably tell you that the family is here and they would hear everything. Not that I would mind of course; but I think you would." Tanya said after chuckling at me and as she tightened her own grip on my waist.

"I'd rather not." I mumbled into her chest.

Tanya's only response was a kiss on the top of my head. We stayed in this position for a few minutes; not talking but just enjoying each-other's company. After a few minutes though, Carmen, through the door since both Tanya and I were still naked and didn't have anything covering us, told me to come downstairs to eat something since I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday at lunch. I all for just laying on Tanya like I was for the rest of the day; but Tanya thought it best I get food. So when I made no move to get off her, she took matters into her own hands.

She carried me into the bathroom where she proceeded to help me get clean in the shower. We didn't do anything, even though Tanya valiantly tried, because I don't want to deal with Kate's teasing right now. Give me a few months, or years, to get used to being this intimate with Tanya before Kate starts teasing me about it.

With all of Tanya's advances while we were both taking a shower; we eventually made it downstairs an hour later. I never thought it would be that hard to get her to calm down. I guess that would be the mating bond at work with Tanya wanting to constantly be with me… or in my pants, which ever works I guess. I personally liked her attempts so I was in nowhere close to being mad with her being so persistent; she only stopped trying, when I told her I don't want to put up with Kate's teasing.

Tanya walked downstairs with a glare on her face that even frightened me a little. I knew she was looking for Kate. Tanya had growled something out along the lines of 'if Kate ruined this for me I'm going to kill her myself' as we finally finished our shower. Walking downstairs, Irina was quick to point out that Kate had just left for her store and wouldn't come back until after Tanya cooled down.

Tanya pouted at that and continued to pout all throughout my meal. It wasn't until we settled onto the loveseat, cuddling of course, that her pout finally disappeared. I had intended to watch T.V. when I went in there, but the family decided to instead fill me in on the fight. I'm not used to actually being involved in what all they did, since Edward never wanted me to know, so it was a pleasant surprise when they told me literally everything that happened.

The conversation went from how they killed Victoria to when I wanted to be changed. After a long conversation about every factor we could all think of and after Kate had decided to come home (Tanya only growled at her and Kate offered a sincere apology), I finally came to a decision about when I wanted to get turned.

I know I don't want to wait long, so being turned at the same age of when Tanya was is out of the question. I also want to make sure that I have plenty of time to respectfully lose my parents. I only say lose them because that's exactly what will happen. I can't continue to be in their lives until they die because how weird would that be if I showed up at their funeral looking the same as I do now? Or, imagine how much it would hurt them that I always talk with them over the phone or send letters, but never visit. I can't imagine how much that would hurt them or even just give them suspicions about something not being right and they might try to find me.

So I decided that I would wait until I turn twenty-one, make sure I'm at least legal drinking age even though I won't ever be able to drink when I'm a vampire, to be turned. That gives me about three years or so to distance myself enough from my family and then to be turned.

Once I told decided when to be turned, the first thing Tanya said was 'Thank god it won't be that long. I can't wait until your newborn years with unrestrained, unrestricted and unlimited sex. It will be wonderful'. That ended that conversation since Tanya officially embarrassed me and I changed the topic to something else: the Cullen's.

The Cullen's, my now cousins, were still in town but just giving us some space. Apparently Tanya had called earlier, before I woke up and said that she doesn't want any of the Cullen's around me. Carmen told me, since Tanya refused to say anything about it, she did that because her instincts, after being so intimate, were probably screaming at her to keep all threats to her relationship away; hence why Kate left for a bit. Carmen explained that because they are the family of my ex-boyfriend and my ex himself, Tanya wants to be safe that I'm all hers.

I tried to reassure her that she doesn't have to worry about me leaving her for the Cullen's but I guess her instincts still won out and the Cullen's didn't come to visit until the next day. Rosalie even made sure to point out that she could barely smell me over all of Tanya's scent that Tanya made sure to leave on me.

I can now officially say that I now have a family that I truly love and loves me back. Not that I didn't have before with Renee and Charlie or even the Cullen's, but now it's eternal. I'm looking forward to starting my new life as a vampire in a couple years.


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

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><p>Tomorrow is the big day. I've been waiting for this day for years and now that it's here, I'm feeling very nervous. I know I want this to happen, I would just prefer it to happen without all the pain that I know will happen as well. The family has all told me about their own experiences with their changing to help me understand what will happen to me. It's going to be three days of hell. It'll be worth it though because in exchange I get eternity with Tanya.<p>

"I'm going to miss this." Tanya mumbled into my ear.

We are currently lying in bed after a very energetic session of sex. I'm surprised I haven't either passed out or just fallen asleep. I think my nerves about what is going to be happening in a few hours won't let me get any sleep.

"Miss having to stop because I can't move anymore?" I asked with a smirk.

Even though I have my back pressed against her front, meaning she can't see my face, I know beyond a doubt that she knows I'm smirking at her.

"Of course not; you know I'm waiting for when you wake up and we have sex for days because you won't be satiable. Which; let me tell you in advance, I don't have a problem with. What I'll miss is your temperature. Your body will never be as hot, temperature wise, as it is now." Tanya said.

I had honestly expected her to say she would miss my heartbeat. That was something Edward had always liked listening to. Even after all these years of being together, I still find myself occasionally comparing Tanya to Edward. I think the reason I do that is because I just can't believe how stupid I was to fall for him. I can't believe how blind I was to actually fall in love with him.

I'm glad it isn't my heartbeat that Tanya will miss because that would mean that she misses what is keeping us from having eternity together. To mean my heartbeat is just an obstacle between our forever. We've worked; okay really it was just Tanya, so hard for us to be together. Why would she work so hard for us for her to miss the one thing that would eventually tear us apart?

"I won't. I'll be happy when I won't have to worry about wearing so many layers of cloths to keep warm." I complained to her.

Every winter, between her and Carmen, it was always ensured that I had on plenty of layers of clothing before going outside. The first couple times they did that it was nice and comforting to know they cared so much. But when they kept it up, it started to annoy me. At times I felt like I was a little kid being bundled in too many clothes by those two.

Kate and Irina thought it was funny and took every chance they could to tease me. After the first month of the first winter with them, I finally convinced Carmen and Tanya to have those two in as many clothes as me since they had to go out in the same temperature when we went into a town; so naturally they had to fake being human in the cold. Once I said it was part of fitting in, Carmen and Tanya were on my side. Kate and Irina didn't tease me about wearing so much clothing anymore. Eleazar sided with his mate; which is understandable, but he never vocalized his agreement, he just went along with it.

"You only say that because I made sure you were always warm." Tanya said as she nuzzled the crook of my neck from behind.

"I'm still convinced you got some sort of sick pleasure from getting me so wrapped up in all those clothes." I said while tilting my head as much as could in my position to give Tanya more access to my neck.

According to the clock on the night stand it's almost midnight. I decided that at exactly midnight I want Tanya to bite me. I don't know why midnight, but it just seems right to me. The rest of the family are all waiting just outside the door. They said they doubt they would need to intervene, but they were there in case Tanya lost control. At first Tanya was a little peeved that we, because I thought it was a good idea as well, would think there was a chance she would lose control with me. When Carmen explained that they were just doing everything they could to make sure Tanya got her mate for eternity, Tanya let it go. She's still a little annoyed about it, but she understands the precaution.

"If I said I did only because it added to my excitement of getting you out of all of them; would it make you feel better?" Tanya asked.

I easily found out that Tanya seemed to like, a lot, to undress me before sex. For whatever reason she found it very erotic; I found it erotic because it got me that much closer to just having sex with her. So I'm pretty after every time I came home and being wrapped up so much, we had sex.

"Not really, but I'm sure there are other ways you can make me feel better." I said in the most seductive voice I could come up with.

"None of that now you two or you'll miss your time." Kate shouted from behind the door, making both me and Tanya groan in annoyance.

They would be in here with us, but since both Tanya and I are still naked and not at all wrapped in anything, I don't want them in here. I may have gotten used to having them in the house when Tanya and I have sex, but I am in no way willing to let them see either me or Tanya naked. That's one of the few things that I can really feel the mating bond affect my emotions; I can't let anyone see Tanya naked. She's for my eyes only and no one else's.

"I suppose she's right, we only have a few minutes now." Tanya said.

She turned us over so that I was now lying on my back and she was straddling my waist. The look she was giving me was one of complete hunger, of total lust. I know for a fact that I have the same look on my face. Unfortunately for us, like Kate so nicely pointed out, we don't have time to do anything.

"I know we've been over this plenty of times; but I'm going to tell you again." Tanya said as she grabbed both my hands and cradled them in her own. "I'm going to bite you three times. Once on your neck, on your chest and over the one you already have." Tanya said.

Tanya wanted to bite me no less than three times, I didn't want to be bitten more than once. I eventually accepted what she wanted and over the course of about a month we picked the spots she would bite. The one on my neck is because Tanya is hoping the bite mark stays there so that she can give me a permanent hickey. Eleazar said it won't stay since the venom will make sure there are no imperfections, but Tanya still wants to try for it.

The next spot, the one on my chest, is kind of obvious. That was the easiest one to decide. The biggest reason being that its closest to the organ that is pumping blood, or in a few minutes venom, throughout my body and we're hoping that will speed up the process if just cutting off a couple minutes or an hour off the total transformation. Eleazar once again said that's not how changing works; we both ignored him. The other and most important reason, being that it's above my heart. Tanya biting there, to us, will symbolize her taking claim over my heart. Romantic right? We thought so.

The last spot is where James bit me few years ago. Tanya said that she was going to bite over it whether or not I agreed, if she had to wait until I was no longer coherent to do it she would of. I think that was her possessiveness coming out there. Once when the Cullen's were visiting, Jasper let it slip to me that Tanya's incredibly jealous that she wasn't the first and only one to bite me that James beat her to it. So I guess it makes sense that she would want to cover over what he did.

"The perfect spots for you to bite me." I said with a smile.

"The last thing I want you to know and please do your best to remember, I will not leave you. I will be here holding you the whole time. You might not feel me holding you, but just know that I am. I won't go hunting again until you are there hunting with me." Tanya said.

The way she was talking made it seem like she was making a promise or an oath to me. They've all told me that I won't be able to realize what is going on around me. They've all told me that I'll be too focused on the pain and wishing it to go away to be able to think about anything else.

"I know Tanya, I'll do my best to keep that in mind." I said.

Her eyes are pitch black, a combination of what we were just doing and of what we're about to do. If it was anyone else I would be nervous that they wouldn't be able to control themselves in this state, but because it's Tanya, I know she'll be fine and that having the family just outside the door really isn't necessary.

I saw Tanya's jaw tighten and her eyes, for just a moment, looked hesitant. I know what that means; it means its midnight at its time.

"Are you ready Bella? This is your last chance to back out and wait; we won't hold anything against you if you do decide to wait." Tanya said, giving me one last out.

"Bite me." I said with a smirk and sounding like I had the confidence that I know I don't have right now.

I want this, but I don't want the pain. But if going through the pain means an eternity with Tanya, then I'll do it.

Tanya nodded once and lowered her head. Instead of going to my neck like I thought she was going to, she went to my lips. She gave me short, but passionate kiss before drawing back. She then trailed kisses down my jaw line and to my neck. When she reached what she deemed the perfect spot, I felt her bite me.

The pain was instant. Her venom felt like it was eating away and destroying my skin. When she finally took her mouth away from my neck, I almost thought that she would take the pain with her; of course it didn't happen. If Tanya didn't have hold of my hands still I would have been clawing at my neck to make the pain stop.

I barely registered Tanya biting down on my chest; it was the pain that made me realize something had happened there. I'm trying my best not to scream, I want to at least wait until Tanya is done before I start screaming. I know there's no way I won't scream, it's impossible. The fire going on in my body is unimaginable. If I could I would just rip my body apart to make it stop; but for some reason my hands won't do what I want them to do.

I felt more intense fire on my wrist and then I felt it move over my body to join the rest of the fire that is slowly consuming me. Maybe once the fire covers my entire body it will stop. I just have to hold out until that happens then it will be over. This fire will surely kill me if it doesn't stop.

I'm pretty sure I'm screaming as loud as I can. I bet I'm begging for someone to make this stop. I can't be sure though because I can't hear anything. It seems that the only thing I can hear is silence. The pain I feel is over-riding everything. If someone was here with me, wouldn't they put a stop to this? Can't they see how much pain I'm in? In the back of my mind it feels like I should know someone is here with me, but I can't believe it because if there was I would at least hear them.

The fire has long since covered my entire body yet it still burns strong. I don't know how long I've been in this inferno, but it's had to have been years; there's no way it can be any less. My view of time may be slightly messed up due to the pain; but I know it has had to have been for a while that I've been set on fire. I don't even remember how this happened, who would have set me on fire. I can't feel the flames on my skin though; which confuses me. It seems that all the pain is internal. Can fire be inside someone?

Slowly, ever so slowly; I can feel the fire receding from the tips of my body. As it recedes it leaves behind a trail of numbness. The pain seems to all be centering on my heart. I can feel the fire making its way there. I can feel the pain leave my legs, arms and even my head as it all makes it way to my heart. I never thought it was possible, but I can hear the beats. I can hear my own life source as it steadily quickens its pace. Once all the fire is in my heart, once again making believe that there is always worse pain that what I think, leaving my whole body numb, my heart is beating so fast that I think it might literally explode.

With one loud, sickening last thump, my heart stops. The pain instantly leaves my body and I feel nothing. I don't feel cold, warm or anything in between. Not sure what to think about what has just happened to me, I stay still on whatever it is I'm lying on and taking in my surroundings as best I can with my eyes closed.

Scents, there are five different scents around me that make me think I'm not alone in this room. I listen as closely as I can to try and confirm this; but the only sounds I can hear are from nature itself outside. It takes a few seconds for to me realize that I shouldn't be able to hear something outside. Clearly I'm inside since I'm lying on a bed; how can I hear something outside.

Deciding to finally figure out what's going on, I open my eyes. At the same time I lift myself to a sitting position on the bed. In front of me are five people that are beyond beautiful. They all seem familiar; but for the life of me I can't place them.

After another few seconds of staring at them, I come to the realization that they aren't alive. If there were, wouldn't I be able to hear their heartbeats? I can hear what's happening outside, but I can't hear any heartbeats. I can't hear _any_ heartbeats. Immediately my hand flies to my chest to try and feel if I still have a beating heart. I hear the last beat of my heart; I heard myself die. What did that fire do to me?

"Bella, do you remember us?" Asked the most beautiful person I've ever seen.

As soon as her voice registers in my head, my mind is instantly assaulted with memories. I can see myself leaving with Renee in Phoenix. I can see making the decision to move to Forks to live with Charlie to give my mom the chance to be happier with Phil. I see meeting the Cullen's for the first and re-uniting with Jake. I can see how close the Cullen's and I became and I can see how much they hurt me when the left.

I can see the new chapter of my life starting when Charlie decided to move us to Alaska. I can see meeting Tanya and her family for the first time. I can see being told about what happened to Victoria and me eventually forgiving the Cullen's and accepting them as my cousins. I can see me and my second family making plans for me being changed.

I can see myself explain to Charlie that moving farther away is for the chance to be independent. I can see me explaining to Charlie and Renee about Tanya and myself about us being girlfriends. I can see my relationship with Renee and Charlie growing distant; still there, but not the same.

Finally, I can see Tanya biting me. I can see her holding me as I screamed as loud as I could. I can see the others making their appearances to show support while I changed. I don't remember having my eyes open, but apparently I did.

Once all my memories have gone through my mind, I find myself looking again at Tanya, this time with lust in my eyes. They warned me that seeing my mate as a vampire and as a newborn would be different that seeing her as a human. They warned me that I would be needy and would want her so much more than before. I didn't believe them, I thought they exaggerating. Looking at Tanya now though, only thing is going through my mind.

"Mine." I growled out.

I know I looked surprised, for a least a second, because my voice has changed from what it was before. It sounds just a little deeper than what it was as a human. I kind of like it. It sounds so much smoother and sweeter at the same time.

I saw Tanya smirk at me, realizing exactly what I was thinking and want I right now. I know she knows that I want nothing more than to take her and I don't care if the others can hear. But they better not look at her; she's for my eyes only.

Thinking about them possibly seeing Tanya naked set my instincts on fire. I instantly narrowed my eyes are them all, except Tanya of course and started growling at them.

"Mine." I said again, this more threatening.

I made my way to Tanya, quicker than I remember being able to move, and attempted to wrap her in my arms to make sure the others, especially the two not mated, won't touch her. Before I could grab Tanya though, she took a step away from and held up a hand to me to get me to stop.

Her taking a step away from hurt much more than I thought it ever could. Even though somewhere deep in my mind I knew she meant nothing by it, it still felt like rejection to me and it hurt. Fortunately Tanya was quick to explain.

"I love you and I would be more than willing to buy you as many houses as you want; but if I can avoid a house being broken while you learn just how strong you are while we have sex, we will be doing it outside. So out." Tanya said while pointing to the door.

She made me feel better immediately; even the laughter of Kate and Irina couldn't bring me down. The only thing is though, is that I can't wait that long for me to go downstairs then out the door. I have a perfectly good window in here.

Without hesitation, as quickly as I could and before Tanya could get away I picked her up in my arms then bolted out the window. I heard Kate's and Irina's laughter get even louder and I swear I even heard Eleazar and Carmen laugh.

"Now you have to have make-up sex for breaking my window when I clearly didn't want you to; you impatient sex addict." Tanya said, sounding very amused as I rushed away.

"I plan to make up for everything I have ever done at least ten times over. I hope you aren't hungry because I don't plan on stopping anytime soon." I said as I found what I deemed a good enough clearing for what I plan to do to Tanya.

I gently placed her down on the ground and I only now just noticed that as she promised, she stayed with me for my whole change because the only thing on her is a sheet that I'm sure she grabbed when she knew my change was done.

"I believe this is the start of a very fulfilling sex life that I'm more than excited to start." Tanya said.

Tanya seemed like she had more to say, but I just can't keep my lips away from hers anymore. So I attacked her lips with everything I had. I think I'm going to like being a vampire with unlimited energy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, that's it, this is finally done. I'm almost done with the first chapter for the one with Kate. I just want to make sure that before I post it that I at least have a general idea of where I'm going with it.**


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